War of the Worlds
by Sunset Moth
Summary: SI fic. In which there is a Game between the Playstations, a dangerous Game of Multiverse proportions. And Rebecca just happens to be one of the Expendables--one who is thrust into a video game and forced to live through it or end up dying. Details in Bio
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own FF9. Nor do I own Rebecca's name.

Chapter One

"I missed you," I quipped, my face contorting into a massive grin, "last _night_." Ellie stopped what she was doing and stared at me. Without warning, she burst into laughter and stabbed me with her pen. The non-pointy bit of course, or else I'd have died and that would have been a poor way to start a story.

"You, Rebecca…you are a disaster just waiting to happen." She said, shaking her head as she went back to working on her project.

"Well of course I am," I said cheekily. "I've what? Mothered the entire future generation using only my pointer finger?" And just to put emphasis on said pointer finger, I wiggled it around. "I have triplets from you and at least twenty-seven from her." I nodded to April who was trying to fix her Clayman's arm which looked like it was about to fall off at any moment now.

"Dude," Ellie said, giving me a good bop in the head. "Have I told you that you creep me out?"

"Only several times," I said, nursing my head with an injured look on my face. "And you _so_ did not have to hit me that hard."

"You deserved it…bi-bitch," Ellie shot back—stuttering on the last word—and stuck out her tongue.

Aaah. Pointless banter. Just what I need for the last class of the day. I picked up my own version of the Clayman and started working on it again…or tried to anyway. My attention span was getting abnormally short and I kept glancing at some unsuspecting victim and giving them the Smile. The slow creepy kind that I know Ellie hates so much. It was _very_ effective.

By the time the bell had rung, I had embarrassed April, disgusted Ellie, scared some kid whose name I always forgot and successfully implanted a nose on the Clayman's face. Alright. So I was lying on that last bit. Well one can always dream…

I sighed and sidled along the corridors, narrowly missing several would-be accidents. I've always been terribly clumsy, especially in the leg area. Even when I'm simply walking, I still manage to fall down at the most inappropriate times. Maybe it's because I walk with a sort of lunge-like quality, taking my whole weight completely forward. Maybe gravity just hates me. Either way, I always almost usually end up on the floor.

Nodding to a fellow geek along the hallway, I stopped a bit, waited for my seventy-sixth victim of the day, curled my fist tightly, and slammed it against said victim's stomach. Hastily, I ran to my locker, ignoring the curses he had sent my way, and almost tripped on a foot that happened to be in my path. I dropped the grin which I had so foolishly carried the whole way and apologized to the unsuspecting foot—I mean person—and finally arrived at my locker. Kneeling on the floor—I had the misfortune of being stuck with a bottom locker despite my a-bit-taller-than-average size—I twisted the dial with the professionalism of a burglar, eased the lock from its place and opened the locker. That's when things got weird. Mostly because a vortex, a _bloody _vortex, sucked me inside the locker. The next thing I saw was darkness.

I haven't fainted, if that's what you're thinking. I just saw darkness. That's all. A complete and utter darkness that I felt like writing a poem about it in free-verse style while mooning over what to eat for dinner. Didn't have a pen and paper with me though. For some reason, the vortex forgot to bring my bag along.

"Hello?" I asked nervously. Yeah, I might be a complete ass when it comes to others, but that only happens when I'm actually in the mood for it. When stuck in a completely foreign place with no food to eat, I often panic and start acting like my ten-year old self. I never did like being ten then. It mostly involved a lot of…paperwork. But only because we had to take penmanship classes 'til sixth grade. Just the thought of the olden days made me want to vomit.

"Greetings, human."

Light appeared in waves and before I knew it, the whole place was lit up. It didn't really do any good because the whole place just looked completely white as opposed to looking completely black. Whoever designed this place probably didn't want much done. There was no furniture, no windows and most of all…no doors to run to if confronted by a large monster with extremely large teeth and yellow eyes, both of which were signs that you had to move very far away at an extremely fast pace.

I shifted uneasily and turned my head to the one who spoke. I blinked. A short stocky woman with snowy white hair and eyes of an electric blue stared at me expectantly. I lifted my hand weakly and said in a quivering voice, "Yo."

"I am called Robin," the woman said and bowed her head a little. "And I am your Playstation."

Wow, _rewind_. I don't have a damn playstation, let alone one that could actually talk. This was a dream, eh? It's actually my subconscious mind telling me that I want another one of those damn things again because…well because I've never gotten my hands on any kind of gaming console before. Even something as battered and old as a PSone was enough to make me happy.

"You must be talking to the wrong person then," I spoke boldly, "because I don't have a Playstation."

"I've always been here," Robin said. "I've always been living in your heart."

I grimaced. She didn't _have_ to put it like that. Always in my heart sounds a wee bit…well wacky, in my opinion. Besides, it made me feel as if I was a neurotic whose only purpose in life is to play games.

"Is this a dream?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"Can I wake up now?" Well two could play at this game of answering-a-question-with-a-question!

"You are needed, human," Robin spoke. I pouted. And I was having so much fun, playing that game. "Whether you like it or not."

I sighed. "Alright, alright. What was it you wanted me to do again? I say let's get this over with before I change my mind." If this was a dream, I'm pretty sure I'm going to wake up any second now, especially considering the fact that dreams usually work out like that. Pity, I had done so much work on my Clayman too.

"Good." The woman smiled wolfishly. "Have fun."

Darkness again. You'd think I was going blind or something. Maybe I really had fallen into a deep slumber. So why am I still talking to myself and why is it that I'm smelling something akin to a fire burning? It's almost as if—

BOOM!

"I take back what I said!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I plummeted downwards. "I want out!"

* * *

"Acting uncharacteristically inhuman again, Robin?" A voice echoed along the room, making Robin perk up from her position on the floor. She had been lying on it, staring at the ceiling with a blank look on her face.

"Not really," she said and shrugged, lying back down again. "I just wanted to impress my human by acting like a bloody robot." Another woman stepped from the shadows. Dark wavy hair tumbled down her shoulders and unlike Robin, she was as thin as a scarecrow. Sharp grey eyes looked around the room with disdain.

"How…Spartan of you." The woman spoke, her voice a symphony of notes in the silence. Robin made a face at the comment. "Can't even afford upholstery, dear?"

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't have, Zero." Robin growled. "I'm not an upgraded version like you."

"That shouldn't make much of a difference." Zero said and, with a snap of her fingers, furniture sprouted from the floor. Robin yelped as a light brown couch sprang from underneath her, taking her by surprise. "Scoot over please." Zero sat with a plop and gave Robin an endearing smile. "Thank you."

Robin grunted and leaned against Zero, her legs dangling on one end of the couch. "You're welcome."

Zero looked uncomfortable with the extra weight but did not comment. Instead, she said, "And how is your Human doing?"

"Living through hell with relative ease," Robin said dryly. "If you must know, I've just _sent_ her there. It's not like she's going to be battling for her life just yet."

Zero coughed politely and pointed at the white space in front of them. Images flickered and settled on the wall as if being projected by a machine. "I'm afraid she is _not_ doing fairly well."

"What?" Robin slipped off the couch and fell on the floor with a thud. She stood up and stared. Rebecca was lying on the ground in a fetal position, moaning in pain. "Oh _crap_. What happened, Zero?"

"That's what _I_ want to know," Zero said. "You mean you were unaware of her situation?"

"I need some rest, Ok?" Robin snapped back. "It already cost me so much just to bring her there. I don't _have_ the power you PS3s have to place her where ever I wished, Zero. Heck, it was trouble enough, naming a general location."

Zero frowned. "Do you even _know_ her stats?"

"It's implanted in my memory card, Zero. Of course I know."

"Then how do you expect her to survive? Her stats are not even above the norm. Her only exceptional stat is her strength and it's not even anywhere near the power-based PPCs of FF9." Zero almost yelled but had bitten her lip instead. "You didn't even give her a weapon."

"She'll survive because she is programmed that way. All humans are."

"Yet there are those who still die, Robin. And programmed? She's not an AI like you and me."

"Nevertheless, I have faith, Zero, unlike some people." Robin said firmly.

"Well sorry for not entering in the damned Game, Robin." Zero said, her voice barely containing the anger she felt. "Unlike some people, I don't go about using Humans for my own gain."

"That's because some AIs aren't as fortunate as you to be born in the Seventh generation. I'm from the Fifth, Zero. I _need _that upgrade." There was a hint of desperation in Robin's voice.

A resigned expression appeared on Zero's face, making her look older than her age. "You guys are allowed a secondary source of power, right?"

Robin looked at her, startled. "Why?"

"I could provide the power," Zero offered wearily. "And don't thank me, Robin. I just want to make sure that kid survives 'til the fourth disc."

* * *

A/N: Eighty percent of what has happened here is fiction. The remaining nineteen percent has probably happened at some point in the author's life and that one percent is there to confuse people. Percentage, as we all know, is not usually accurate, especially if it is made up at the last possible minute and has not been actually taken into consideration.

PPC stands for Permanent Playable Character. Practically Predictable Character also works if you have a bit of humor in your bones. If you look it up, you'll also see a history of the different gaming console generations. Hopefully, what I've written is accurate.

Inspired by Tabansi232's fic, Flipped up Reality.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I'm…I'm surprised the floor didn't break. Imagine a pig slamming against a wooden floor. Now imagine that very same pig having womanly proportions and an expression of absolute pain on its face. Yep, you've got it; I'm hungry alright. And well…slightly on the heavy side.

That last bit made me laugh although it didn't last long because my ribs suddenly flared with pain and there was a sort of throbbing burn which made me wheeze. I rolled on the floor until my face was no longer against it and quickly checked if there was drool on my face. This made things worse because the sudden movement of my arm triggered another bolt of pain. To hell with it! I'm going to stand up.

THUD.

"Oh crap," I moaned and curled into a tiny ball. Forget what I just said. I'm going to lie here and sleep instead. With that decision in mind, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and—

"Stand up," an urgent voice whispered in my ear, tugging my aching arm. "Please."

"Tried it. Didn't work," I answered back and pulled my arm away from the person speaking.

"It's going to blow," the voice hissed angrily. "Come on."

My eyes flickered open. "What's going to blow? One of Mom's creations again?" I asked, my head turning to my left and right frantically. The last time my mother tried to cook—

Wait. Why do I have the feeling that I'm being a complete utter idiot again? Oh right. That's because I _am_ being a complete utter idiot again. Ellie would laugh if she heard me saying this statement. Apparently, I'm too _smart_ to be in our grade just because I'm a wee bit older than everyone else and a complete teacher's pet.

Enough reminiscing. I have a bomb to get away from. Heave-ho! I grunted and dragged myself to my feet, accepting the support the man in the banana—I mean, bandanna—had given me. "Thanks," I murmured. We barely made it behind the cover when the big fiery ball of what was supposed to be a bomb went kaboom. I didn't notice it though. I was too busy gaping at the people around me.

Monkey boy? Check. Smallish kiddo with big hat and glowing yellow eyes? Check. Bucket-man with sword? Check. Chick with the orange costume? Check. Guy with the freakishly long and spiky hair?

Well that's four out of five. I dropped to my knees and clutched a part of the harpoon which was lodged on the floor. My knees protested from the treatment—I _did _just drop them on the floor—reminding me that this was all no dream. Plus, it reminded me that my knees had bruises from PE and therefore should not be subjected to such treatment.

…but to think that after all those years ago…watching my cousin play so enviously…the game which always had sequels and prequels and the sort of –quels not really related but still bearing the name…

One of the vehicle's tower-like parts went free which made me snap my much-abused head. It fell down on the buildings, raining fire everywhere. A shiver crawled through my spine as I thought of the poor people whose lives would be ruined by all this—whatever all this was. I was about to ask the guy who helped me what the heck was going on when I felt the moving ship—well it looked like one—plunge downwards.

"Why is there always falling downwards to a certain death?" Would have been what I said if I had gotten the chance to speak but the ship, rocking about like a drunken sailor, tilted sharply to left, making me cling all the more to the harpoon. What left my mouth instead sounded a lot like this, "Waaahh?!"

I wish I could also say that we had landed on the ground with minimal damage, sporting only flesh wounds that could easily heal and a minor headache that would not last long. Wishes, as history so often likes to point out, don't come true because if they did, something would usually go wrong. Or was it fairytales that pointed that out? I placed my head between my knees and took deep breaths to stop the dizziness from taking over my reasoning. I _am _getting stupid.

Well look at it this way, I _may _be getting stupid but at least I was lucky enough to fall off the ship when it had landed. This is opposed to falling off the ship way before that.

I heard someone stumble through the clearing and looked up. The guy with the tail and the funky hairdo walked towards the ship, worry etched on his face. His eyes turned to mine and he frowned. "You were the one who flew with the bomb, weren't you?"

"Yes, but Rebecca's easier to remember," I said cheerfully. "After all, the Girl Who Flew with the Bomb is _way_ too long."

He gave me a grin and said, "Well, I'm glad to see that some of us still have our sense of humor alive and kicking. Name's Zidane, by the way."

I dropped the smile and slowly stood up, "Alive but not kicking." I admitted with a stretch and grimaced, my muscles feeling heavy like lead. "Nice to meet you."

He must have noticed the sudden jerk of my arm as I tried to move it around—it was still hurting to my annoyance—and had offered a small bottle filled dark blue liquid which shone in the dark. Is it just me or does this thing just _scream_ poisonous? Probably just me. I took it and squinted, looking for a label that would tell me what it actually was. Finding not even a single clue, I asked Zidane, "What's this?"

"It's a Potion."

"A potion? What kind? A love potion? A potion for one's warts?" I asked, half-jokingly.

"It's just that…a Potion." Zidane didn't seem inclined to say anything further as he jumped and squirmed his way up a tree. "You drink it to heal your wounds and to stop most of the pain."

"Ok," I said, gave the bottle one last glare, unscrewed the top and chugged the thing down. Oddly enough, it tasted like oranges. My tense body slowly relaxed as the pain ebbed away. "Thanks."

"No problem," Zidane said and slid down the tree. "I have to go now. The others might be around here somewhere."

"Can I come?" Is what I would have asked if I wasn't feeling so scared right now. I gulped and said, "I'd go along but I don't have a weapon with me." _Right._ I'm such a coward.

"I can go there alone," Zidane said, flashing me a reassuring smile. "If you need a weapon, we have a couple of swords left from the play. You can probably ask Blank or Marcus for one. Don't ask Cinna though, he's a wee bit possessive when it comes to Tantalus property."

"Right-o!" I said, relieved that I wouldn't have to go to. "Good luck."

Zidane nodded and disappeared into the woods. I headed for the ship.

* * *

The air was filled with the busy urgency of a pair of hands which needed to tap something repeatedly and quite quickly. Frankly, it felt suffocating in Robin's opinion but she needed to make a certain visit for Zero and it couldn't be put off any longer. She cleared her throat. "Eric Swallow?"

The typing abruptly stopped. "I prefer the name Havoc." The young man with flashy red hair and a pair of extremely large goggles strapped against his forehead gave Robin a backwards glance. "Eric Swallow reminds me of a…former life. One that doesn't bear reminding."

"You know how formalities are, Havoc," Robin said with a shrug. "Besides, that's the name Zero gave me."

"Zero doesn't really approve of nicknames," Havoc spoke and, with a push of his foot, made the chair swivel. Eyes of a cloudy grey that reminded Robin of Zero gazed back at her with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "What do you want? Straight to the point please. I'm very busy, especially with the Game going on and stuff."

"I need some advice." Robin said and sat on a chair which she had conjured with a slight twist of her hand. "You were an Expendable once…before She had offered you the Change."

"Life as a human was boring," Havoc said and yawned. "You live, you love, you die. That's pretty much it. Their sole purpose in life is to procreate just so their descendants would live to see the world end."

_And Zero accuses me of not caring. _"I need your help in choosing an SA."

"Special Ability?" Havoc smirked. "Well you came to the right place then! That's the only thing left that interests me in the Game so I pretty much make it a hobby of mine to take note of all the really good SAs out there. Do you have the list?"

Robin nodded. "I'm sending it to your memory banks right now."

The young AI tilted his head. "Thanks. Let me just scroll down and take a look."

It was common knowledge that AIs don't need actual computers to do the work for them. After all, they were born from silicon chips themselves and their brain processes equaled, if not surpassed that of an ordinary machine. Regardless, Eric "Havoc" Swallow still hadn't completely let go of his human past, choosing, for example, to type in front of a computer when he knew fully well that simply thinking of the subject at hand would be enough. An advantage of this was that AIs could simply exchange information without hassle and tend not to forget things easily. There was the problem of security though which was why AIs were generally untrusting people.

Robin crossed her arms. "What do you think?"

"You got some pretty good ones this year," Havoc noted, his eyes unfocused as he went through the list.

"What do you know of ninjas?"

"Draining, requires the Expendable to be in good shape, and has some weird side effects on the Expendable, having Anime-like tendencies being the most notable."

"Summoner?"

"_Very_ draining. It also requires the SA to be administered to the Expendable way before the start of the game as it will affect the plot by quite a lot. You _are _doing a Final Fantasy, I assume?"

"It was the one she was most familiar with. How about master of the four elements?"

"Another SA with side effects. For one thing, your Expendable's going to get a big arrow on her forehead. Blue, I might add."

"Shapeshifting into animals?"

"Since you're using an FF world, that would fall under the blue mage category so your Expendable won't really get the chance to shapeshift. What's more is that shapeshifting is a very constricting SA as it depends on the world's laws and what animals that world actually has."

"Gotcha." There were many more SAs that were listed but none had caught Robin's eye. She needed one that didn't require too much energy as well as complement Rebecca's personality. _So far, she's proved to be quite adept at staying alive._ Robin thought and chuckled under her breath. An idea shoved its way to her…brain and demanded to be heard. _Well, why not? _She told Havoc.

"You know…I think that'd actually work." Havoc said thoughtfully. "The energy level required won't take much out of you plus, the side effects aren't too bad. I say go for it."

* * *

Cinna wasn't that bad. Yes, he _did _look like the kind of guy who'd try to take a peek underneath one's skirt but at least he'd have the decency to compliment on the color of one's underwear before sauntering off to get mauled on by a horde of angry women. That's what I think anyway. Plus, he'd given me a pair of bronze gloves. "Something to match that sword Marcus gave you," the old thief had said grudgingly.

Blank was still busy searching for survivors in the ship so we haven't properly met yet. Marcus, on the other hand, was the guy with the bandanna who had helped me earlier. He's pretty nice too and was real worried for Zidane and the others. The short sword he had given me was just the right weight, except I think my arm's going to ache if I have to carry it any longer than I have to.

A rustle from the woods made the twins, Zenero and Benero, perk up from their posts by the entrance. My paranoia took the better of me because I had drawn my sword from its sheathe. Or maybe I just wanted to try it out. Either way, if a monster stepped out from behind those trees…

Zidane appeared, breathing heavily from exerting too much effort. On one shoulder he carried the mage while his free hand was wrapped around the knight's foot and was dragging the poor guy towards us. His face was deathly pale and stricken, "The princess. We have to go and save the princess."

* * *

A/N: Chapter three won't appear as fast as this one, the reason being that I was already finished with this chapter by the time I had posted chapter one and my other fics are suffering from the lack of attention. Questions, comments, criticism, flames, one-liners, two-liners, eye-liners and cookies of a virtual kind are all accepted although the first three are probably the only ones which I will pay attention to. Much love goes to the reviewers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

You know, it just occurred to me now that I haven't properly thought about why I'm not even trying to wonder about anything, especially whether or not this is all real. It might be because I've always believed in embracing the moment, not questioning the why or how just living life on the high. Or something like that...

It might also be because I'm deluding myself into thinking that I am still dreaming and that the aches and pains are just part of the package. It sounds kind of reasonable actually, if it were not for the fact that I've already pinched myself several times and that I did drink a potion. With a capital P to be precise. Drinking or eating doesn't usually take place in the dream world because before one is able to touch the item in question, one wakes up. Trust me, I've had experience.

"So uh, 'ow did you get inside the cannon then? Marcus told me that you flew right-o before that bloody ball of fire and me, I'mma just wondering what's a girl like you doin' there in the first place."

I sighed. "The accent doesn't really work, Cinna. Just because I got a _bit_ excited over the fact that I was speaking to a bunch of thieves and expecting them to know some street slang doesn't mean that you can go about trying to talk in that manner in the hopes of getting some money off me."

"I'm not asking for some money," Cinna said, his voice just a bit over what's considered a _hurt_ voice, making it sound all the more untrue. "I _am _serious about that question. How did you get there anyway?"

Ouch. For someone with a brain as large as mine, you'd think I'd have figured out an answer to that question. Oh well. Let's seize the moment! And wing it. "I don't know." The words tumbled down my treacherous mouth and wanted an encore. I quickly tried covering it up with some fast-acting glue. The hole to my reasoning that is—being the thing that I'm trying to cover up. Man, do I sound stupid. "I don't…remember what happened before that."

"You don't?"

Tongue-tied and petrified alright. I swallowed my spit and spoke slowly to make sure that none of the words that were coming out sounded wrong in some way, "I remember my name if that helps. I think maybe I bumped my head too hard."

Cinna nodded in understanding. "Happens to all of us, kiddo. Don'tcha feel too sad about it. It'll eventually come back. Why! Once I got hit by a frying pan and boy did that really hurt—"

"But Cinna doesn't really have that many brain cells to lose in the first place so he didn't really forget anything." Blank pointed out. "Zidane's having a fight with the Boss, by the way. Says he's going to leave whether the Boss likes it or not. If you want to see them go against each other, go ahead. They're at that room beyond the door on your left."

Cinna stumbled towards the room, his eyes somewhat hungry-like. I have a feeling that he wasn't going to go there for the fight. Having read books about thieves, I'm pretty sure he's going for the crowd's purses. Oh those poor musicians. And didn't he even feel slightly injured by Blank's statement? After all, the man might as well have called him stupid…

"The memory loss won't work for long you know." Blank murmured quietly, barely enough for even me to hear. "You better make up a more solid excuse before anyone asks you again."

"Whoever said it was an excuse?" Would have been what I said if my brain didn't function at the pace of a turtle that keeps getting distracted by all the food it sees along the way. Before I could even open my mouth though, Blank had strolled away with a tune to his whistle.

The bastard. I made a face and turned around, crossing my arms with a pout. "Grumble, grumble, grumble," I murmured under my breath, my eyes narrowed. "Grumble, grumble, grumble…"

After three seconds of feeling sorry for myself, I trotted towards the room where the knight was staying. I didn't want to watch Zidane fight because, honestly? I have the paranoia of a sandwich about to get eaten, which translates to: I'm afraid I will see Zidane get his bum kicked so I better go to the knight to plan for the princess's rescue in case Zidane won't be joining us. Aaah. My logic astounds me sometimes.

I knocked on the door and opened it. "Sir?" I asked in a loud clear voice. I may not know much about the knight but I'm pretty sure his kind likes to respond to someone respectful of authority. Especially if it is his _authority_ that gets respected. "Sir knight?"

"Yes? Is it one of you scoundrels?" The knight bellowed, making my ears ache.

"Just me," I said, doing my best imitation of a kid who had just eaten a large bowl of ice cream and is feeling terribly happy, as I slipped into the room. "I'm Rebecca." And I'm hungry by the way, can you perhaps, spare a chocolate bar for poor little ol' me?

"And how am I to know whether you are rogue or not like the others?"

Doesn't he know about the incident I was in? The one where there was flying and a ball of madness involved? "I was on the rooftops, sir, and I fell on the ship. Terribly clumsy of me, I know."

The expression on the knight's face softened. "You do look like you've been stranded here against your will, poor thing."

I looked down. I was wearing a pair of jeans, winter boots, a black shirt with a dragon spiraling along, my ratty dark blue jacket which had seen better days and the bronze gloves Cinna had given me. Around my waist was the belt from which a short sword hung. Did I look poor to him? Probably, since he sounded so sympathetic.

"Well you must feel pretty down too," I pointed out, trying to steer the sympathy back to its owner.

"I do smell somewhat…differently than usual," the knight admitted, wrinkling his nose. Hah! You're just trying to hide the fact that you smell like shit. I struggled to keep my face passive and succeeded only barely; my eye would twitch occasionally. "And I do feel a bit queasy still from that last fight."

Uhuh. "What was your name again, sir?" I asked. "Not meaning to be disrespectful or anything."

"I am Captain Adelbert Steiner of the Knights of Pluto." Steiner beamed with pride as he declared for all to hear his complete name, plus title. Why not add your social standing, upbringing, the names of your fathers and forefathers too? And yes, I'm being a bit harsh on the man. Might as well suck it up.

"Oh wow! Really? To think that a captain, a _bloody _captain—excuse my Klatch—within the same room as me is just so cool," I said with just the right amount of awe. No sarcasm whatsoever present. I swear.

"Klatch? I don't recall—"

The door burst open much to my relief. I had accidentally quoted Terry Pratchett and yeah…it almost went out of hand. Oh well! Better luck next time. I should really mess more heads while I'm at it. Might as well tell them I'm on a different universe where all of this was just a game which I had played when I was younger. And often died as a result of continually pressing the X button. Hey! I was _really_ young when I played this which explains why my logic was so flawed then.

Not that it had improved over the years. "Hello, Zidane. Hello, kiddo. Never did catch your name."

"Vivi," the small mage said, sparking yet another memory in my mind's eye. Now I'm beginning to remember this game! Except that there wasn't much to remember in the first place, considering the fact that I could never get past that slithery serpent in the Ice Cavern.

"Name's Rebecca," I said and smiled, offering the mage my hand. He looked up at me, took my hand and shook it solemnly. I would have died from the sweetness. Seriously! My evil heart would break if I look at those eyes again. Worse, I would suddenly go crazy from the pure innocence and explode into a thousand bits, raining fat and sugar everywhere. Think of the mess I would have made.

"You can let go now."

"Oh! Right. Of course," I took a step back and gave Zidane a grin. "What can I say? This kid can easily beat you at one of those whoever-gets-the-most-women-in-an-hour contests, hands down."

Zidane raised an eyebrow, his eyes dancing with amusement, "Right."

"I also think that the Potion you gave me has made me hyper," I chatted on, my mind barely keeping up with my mouth. "Coz boy do I feel like running a hundred miles right now and dancing to the beat of Dancing Queen which I would normally not do." I placed my hands on my mouth and rolled my eyes. Please spare me from further embarrassment. I beg of you.

Zidane's obviously good with deciphering desperate stares because he looked at Steiner and spoke, "You coming with us to save the princess, Rusty?"

The knight sputtered indignantly, "My name is not Rusty, you scoundrel! At least Rebecca here had the decency to be polite and addressed me like a proper citizen." Hey! Don't add me to the argument. I'm barely holding on here. Speaking of which, I readjusted my arm and tried my best to look as innocent as Vivi.

All I got from Zidane was an expression of bemused disbelief.

The two exchanged words for what felt like forever. I didn't bother to listen in though because I was too busy trying to stop myself from jumping in the conversation and letting my mouth flap on and on about whatever, thus prolonging the whole excursion which would ultimately lead to the death of one hot princess. Yes, my mouth has a mind of its own.

"You're coming too, right?" Zidane asked me. I blinked.

I let go of my mouth and composed myself to make sure that no words of stupidity would come out of my mouth again. "I don't know if I can be of much help but sure. Why not?" I said, ignoring the fact that I had just thought of going after the princess without Zidane's aid, only moments ago. If only the three of us had gone…

I could almost see it now and what a pretty picture it is. Notice the sarcasm here. I might as well have asked for an early death if I had gone to the forest without Zidane's help. Oh I knew the two were capable of looking after themselves alright but without a good leader to lead them—Steiner doesn't quite fit the bill for all that he is a captain—we'd be dead meat.

"Aaah!!" I fell flat on my face and groaned. We haven't even walked outside the ship yet and I've already tripped on a loose floorboard. My poor poor knees.

"You alright?" Zidane asked and pulled me to my feet.

"Just my pride injured, no biggie," I spoke with the enthusiasm of a monk walking through a bed of burning coals.

"You should really watch where you're going, Rebecca," Steiner admonished.

"I will…Captain Steiner," I said, still playing the good citizen. "Thank you for being so thoughtful."

"Right," Zidane coughed. You're just jealous coz I'm so good at sucking up. Hah!

I patted his back, a look of _pure _concern in my face. "You ok, Zidane? You sound like you have a cough. Maybe you should stay here and let _us_ go and save the princess."

His eyes glinted with mirth and mischief. "Maybe I should. I think you guys can handle it."

Hell no. I grabbed Zidane in a headlock and murmured in a low dangerous voice, "If you don't want to come with us, I could always ask Cinna to help. I'm sure he'd _love_ to get a hold on the princess."

"No!" Zidane exclaimed and pushed me away. I wiped my hands and arms as best as I could. After all, I _was _allergic to men. I simply did that out of the goodness of my heart. And because we needed Zidane if we're going to come out of the Forest of Death alive.

"Let's go then?"

The walk to the entrance would have been made in silence if it were not for the fact that Steiner's glares just screamed murder.

…Oh crap. _This_ is what happens when I am bored. My humor goes down by thirty percent and refuses to climb up again until I've been substantially intoxicated with chocolate. Speaking of chocolate, I'm hungry. I spotted Cinna who was standing just outside the ship and bounced to his side, demanding that I be fed at once.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you're not part of Tantalus. You'll have to pay me if you want something."

"Zidane's part of Tantalus."

"Not anymore."

"Why not?"

"The Boss kicked him out."

"Can I at least have an apple?"

"That'll be ten gil."

"Ten gil?! _Ten gil?!_"

"Yes."

"But I don't _have_ ten gil."

"Why not?"

"A thief stole my money."

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"Would it make a difference? Would I get the apple for free?"

"No on both questions."

"Then yes. I'm trying to be funny," I said and gave the man a grin. The only reaction I got was a blank stare. See? Without my chocolate, I am nothing but a man—I mean, woman with a clown complex. What's even worse is that I don't even get a bloody red nose. Heck, Rudolph was lucky. His nose even _shone_.

"What's up?" Zidane appeared besides me, tucking a purple potion in his belt of wonders.

"I'm hungry," I whined. "Cinna wouldn't give me an apple."

"It's ten gil," Cinna grumbled. "It's not like I'm asking for a thousand."

Zidane flicked a coin in Mr. Uncooperative's direction. "Go crazy," he told me and winked. I gaped. Oh man. That was just so cool. I should definitely take notes next time.

Cinna grabbed an apple from his pocket and handed it with a glare. I don't get it. Why the sudden change in mood? He wasn't this bad a while ago. "Did something bad happen?" I asked as I turned the apple over and over in my hand. I wouldn't put this in my mouth even if I was starving to death, especially when it came from his pants pocket. Imagine the number of farts he had produced between the time he had placed this in his pocket and when he had given it to me. Alright, so it _might _not be that gross. I'm still not eating it though.

"I just lost something. It doesn't really matter."

"Well it must be valuable if you're acting so grumpy about it," I pointed out. Wait. Why am I still standing here? The others must have left me by now. "Well good luck finding it," I said and jogged for trees where Zidane and the others waited. "Terribly sorry that I wasted your time," I said, directing the apology to Steiner for good measure. "I haven't eaten you see and was desperate for a little grub."

"Understandable," Steiner said with a nod. "Now onwards. Before the trail goes cold." Vivi followed the man, his eyes glowing with admiration. Maybe because despite the rusty armor—which still stunk, mind you—the man had looked quite imposing when he said those words.

"Do you have to be so nice to him?" Zidane hissed once the knight was out of earshot. "His head is only going to get bigger you know."

"You just have to push the right buttons," I answered back. "I don't really like him too but I can't go about treating him that way just because he's a bit bad-tempered and hard to get along with."

"Where's the fun in that?" Zidane smirked. "And anyway, he needs to learn how to get along with the rest of us—"

"You mean you," I cut in. "He can get along with Vivi too."

"Only because it's hard not to like Vivi."

"You're just saying that—"

"Incoming!" Zidane shouted and unsheathed his daggers. I drew my sword as well and gripped the hilt with both hands, my heart thumping crazily. Oh man. Oh man. Oh man. I'm not ready for this.

A dark brown creature with what looked like three fluffy tails sewn on its forehead growled menacingly at me. I gulped. Well all for nothing. It's finally time for me to prove to the rest of the world just how much of a man I am. I mean woman. Jeez. Gender-confused much?

I scream what I think is an animalistic cry of fury and run to the fuzzball, my arms raised high. It flattened its ears and tucked its tail in between its legs. Was I that scary-looking? My arms dropped to their respective sides as I stared at the frightened creature before me. I couldn't kill it. Especially if it looked so cute—

"Gaaaaaah!" I shielded my face with my arms and fell on my butt as that damned fuzzball suddenly jumped on me, fangs a-blazin'. I will never trust an animal again, even if they look disturbingly cute and cuddly. Whatever that means.

Its teeth tried to tear a chunk of flesh off my arm but couldn't because of the glove which barred the teeth's path. Thank you, Cinna! I slammed my feet against the fiend's belly and took the apple from one of my jacket's many pockets. "Eat this instead!" I shouted and chucked the apple straight at the monster's forehead. It hit home, much to my relief, and I took a moment to thank my PE teacher for making us play dodgeball almost daily before scrambling to my feet. With sword in hand, I ran to the others who were fighting their own set of monsters. The three of them moved with the ease of experienced fighters, killing the fiends as if they were merely flies. I looked back and saw that the fuzzball was lying on its back, its eyes rolled back. I didn't kill it, did I? I mean, I don't throw _that _hard. I shifted my gaze and found, to my surprise, that the apple wasn't there. I bet it chocked on the apple. Stupid fuzzball. Swallowing one's food without properly chewing it is _bad._

"You alright, Rebecca?" Vivi asked, yellow eyes glowing even more brightly with concern.

"I was almost dog food. Do I look fine to you?" I snapped and immediately regretted it. Vivi had hugged his staff in fear. With a sigh, I spoke in a weary tone, "Sorry. I'm just not used to getting attacked by weird monsters. I guess there's a reason why this place is called the Forest of Death."

"The Evil Forest." Zidane corrected.

I would love to kill you too. I thought and slapped my forehead. "Whatever."

"You're welcome," Zidane said and punched my arm. "Now let's go before more monsters come."

* * *

A/N: I know I kept saying that the next chapter won't come soon but then post the next chapter the next day anyway, but I'm serious this time when I say that Chapter Four will not be posted soon. Mostly because I have school tomorrow and a hundred stuff to do.

I can't really say if Rebecca was as funny in this chapter as she was in the last chapter. I think it was because I didn't have time to read Terry Pratchett which always improves my humor by quite a lot. Speaking of TP, I did mention him up there, didn't I? Yes, I'm a complete fan of his Discworld series. For those of you who don't know him, read his books now. They are _that_ good.

Questions, comments, contradictions, objections and cups of hot steaming coffee thrown in perfect Godot-style are all welcome.

Additional disclaimer: I don't own the Forest of Death. That's Kishimoto's. I don't own Godot either.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I took a step back and stared at it, my mouth moving up and down as I tried to say something that made sense. Sadly, my mouth only gave my attempt at sanity a fleeting glance because before I knew it, I was spouting nonsense that would make any grown man cry. "No man is an island. No man is a dessert either, unless he is about to be eaten by a dragon who has just had dinner. Overly excessive animal mutiny is bad. We are not tied down by the responsibility left to us by our ancestors but by the shoelaces which keep our feet inside our shoes."

It was corny. It wasn't at all insightful. It just made you want to _cry._ I clenched my sword with trembling hands and let out a sob. I could never forgive myself. Why oh why am I given a mouth with a personality of its own? It just wasn't _fair._

"Scared?"

I sniffed and looked at Zidane, teary-eyed. "How come your mouth doesn't do weird things on you?"

"Because I haven't hit my head a couple of times?" He slowly asked as if by doing so, I would understand what he had just said. Which I did understand to my annoyance.

I turned my attention back to the large plant-like monster with petals of a blindingly pink color. A tear slid down my cheek as a result of feeling so down at the idea of a defective mouth and staring at the plant for more than five seconds. I rubbed it away and moved into what I hoped was a fighting position which would not let me fall on my bum at any given moment. "Deliverance is at hand!" I cried out as I dashed to the evil boss plant and immediately regretted not falling on my bum.

"Elp!!" I screamed, only vaguely aware that I had just said something which involved multiple exclamation marks and even the occasional question mark. If I actually had the luxury of paying attention to the number of both exclamation and question marks, I would have mentally banged my head against a sledgehammer for sounding like a newbie on a forum whose only reason for joining is to ask the one question that's already been answered several times. Considering my situation—which is basically being strangled by a killer vine—I don't think I even _need_ the sledgehammer.

I felt heat near my face and struggled harder to get my neck out of the vine's grasp. I know Vivi means well but trying to burn the vine off will only result in a burnt face. Mine to be precise.

Relief washed over me as I dropped unsurprisingly on my bum. Caressing my neck, I gave Zidane a thankful grin and rose to my feet, ducking my head just in time to avoid a swipe from the plant's tentacles—I mean vines…whatever. This was of course, a Wrong Move. Having had a history of Wrong Moves, I should have known better than to do what I did which only gave me an aching neck. Actually, I should have known better than to get out of my bed this morning and go to school.

I groaned, my hand reaching for my neck once more. With eyes squinted, I fumbled across the ground, the sword the only thing in my mind. I knew I was being a pain right now but I still had to try. If I can't even kill my very first boss, then what use am I later on? I'd be dead weight and I just couldn't stand that.

My hand curled around the blade's hilt. Finally! I straightened and glared at the plant, murder on the top of my list of things to do. That much pink was a crime in itself. About to let out another feral cry, I felt someone grab me by my shoulder and drag me to the ground. "That is not how we do things around here." I looked up to meet Blank's stare which was pretty unnerving despite the fact that there are no eyes to look back at anyway.

"I'm sorry but I must have missed the tutorial. Do I have to press any special sort of buttons to defeat someone? Up, down, left, right, triangle, square, square, perhaps?" I asked sardonically. Hey, you'd be pissed too if your butt was aching from falling down several times!

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind," I grumbled as I pushed myself off the ground once more. "My mouth is having trouble cooperating with my brain. Just ask Zidane."

"Do you think you can carry the princess?"

The question threw me off balance. Literally. "Huh? What? Huh?"

"It's a simple question," Blank said patiently, his attention directed to the other three who were making a better attempt at exterminating the plant than I was. "Can you or can you not?"

"I think I can," I admitted. "But I can't go far, lugging her about."

"Good," Blank said and took a step back to avoid a pair of vines that was flung his way. "Because I'm thinking of blowing it up."

"Right then," I said. Clearly, this man's sanity was even in worse shape than mine. "Shall I go get and her?"

"Yes." Crawling along the plant's many roots, I made a mental note not to anger Blank in the future. He might try to blow me up, after all. Or worse, he'll try to question my usually infallible logic again. If someone brings up the dreaded topic of where I actually came from…

The princess's limp body just laid ahead, ready to be picked up by some knight in shining armor. The image of Steiner in his rusty armor doing just that made me grin. The image of _me_ in a ratty jacket and a pair of worn jeans doing just that replaced the grin with a grimace. Well as long as there's no kissing involved…

I grabbed a piece of the plant's root and hauled myself up. That's when I realized that I had dropped my sword. Gaah. Where has the world gone to now? Or specifically, where has my sword gone to now? No time to ponder. With both hands on the wiggly enemy vine, I yanked with all my might. Nothing happened. "Knife!" I shouted to Zidane, slipping my nose underneath my shirt as the plant boss farted Pollen on me.

One of his daggers landed with a twang, blade down, on the ground. I took a moment to contemplate on how a particular component of an object affects the sound it makes as it hits the ground, shoved it back in my UIC—Useless Ideas Closet—and grabbed the blade, shouting a quick thanks to Zidane who had picked up my sword and was using it a lot more effectively than I was earlier. The shout was muffled by the fact that half my face was hiding underneath my shirt but the plant was still spouting Pollen and I didn't want to sneeze or choke on the thing.

With the last of the vines gone, I stuffed Zidane's dagger on my belt and slipped my arms beneath the princess's body. Bracing myself, I grunted as I picked her off the plant-like pedestal and ran as fast as I could—without tripping—to the others.

The next thing I knew, we were outside the cave, running for our lives as the familiar sound of an explosion bid us good bye. Steiner was now carrying the princess which was fine by me. I'm no muscle man after all and my legs were already starting to hurt from jogging along the forest. Behind us, I could hear the scuttling of inhuman footsteps. Oh _no._ What wants to eat us now?

I didn't dare take a peek as I was too busy making my legs work. Zidane did though and boy did he gasp. That could either mean two things: there's a multitude of monsters coming after us or he was simply out of breath. I'd choose the latter any day but I knew in my heart of hearts and my stomach of stomachs—both which were doing acrobatic stunts with the finesse of a clown on the tightrope—that it was not why Zidane had gasped. He was in good shape after all, unlike a certain someone.

You'll have to forgive me—whoever you are—because the next few events were a blur in my memories and I can't really quite tell you what happened word by word. Actually, the only thing that I_ could _remember was shouting the words, "Advance to the rear! Advance to the rear!" It was a total rip off from some movie I've never watched in my life but did have a sort of desperate tone to it which was just what I needed to motivate my legs.

Finally, I stumbled to the exit—or entrance, depending on the situation—and fell on the grassy floor with a satisfying thud. I took a moment to appreciate the bliss before standing up again and dusting off the dirt from my clothes.

"Ehhh!" A mouthful of grass. Back pain. Bruised knees. Major headache. Oh _great_. I felt like I've been trampled by a bunch of tiptoeing elephants in tutus. I spat out the grass and was about to make a snide remark when I saw the pained expression on Zidane's face. _Fine. _I'll forgive you for landing on top of me. But only because you look like you're constipated.

"Damnit, Blank," Zidane murmured, his fists against the stone-turned vines. "Why the heck did you have to play hero? I asked you to look after them. I didn't ask you to save me."

Creepy Guy isn't with us? I gulped and felt a shiver run through my spine. It wasn't my fault was it? I mean, I just wanted his big mouth shut about the whole issue with my sudden appearance. I didn't want his mouth permanently shut by some kind of stone-turning disease. Quick! Grab an axe. Or better yet, let's bulldoze this joint.

"We better set camp," Monkey boy sighed, his shoulders drooping. "There's no point staying here."

Wrong answer! Let me at 'em—

"Rebecca?"

"Yes, Vivi?"

"Your face is scaring me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Vivi." A pause. "Is this better?"

"A bit."

I didn't follow them, staring instead at the forest before me. I wasn't brooding mind. I just needed…to take a deep breath and let it all out. Tears swelled near my eyes and my throat felt like there was something hard shoved into it. This wasn't funny anymore. I should have remembered this. I should have done something to stop it from happening. Sure, Blank was a nuisance but the thought of a human being trapped in a timeless world of rock and stone…it just wasn't right.

Eventually I found my way in the campsite, my body now shaking from the bitter wind. I may have a jacket with me—as well as numerous fat cells—but I'm still pretty sensitive to the cold. I sat with a plop besides Steiner and ignored the snores coming from the tent. "Still awake?" I asked, trying to sound as cheerful as ever.

"I have promised the princess that I will guard this place while she rests," Steiner said, his eyes sagging already.

"Well you don't have to stand guard here all night," I pointed out. "What if you fall asleep, sir? It wouldn't do all of us any good."

"What are you trying to suggest, child? That I am incapable of carrying out my promise?" Steiner's face turned into an enraged red.

I shook my head quickly and spoke in an injured I-would-never-imply-such-a-thing voice, "No, sir! I was actually thinking of helping you in some way. I could get some sleep and switch places with you after a couple of hours so you wouldn't feel so tired tomorrow when we travel. If not, I could also accompany you for the rest of the night in case a bunch of fiends suddenly pop outta nowhere and you're too busy crying out for help. I'm particularly good at screaming, sir, and I can easily alert the others while you keep the monsters at bay."

Steiner gave me a gentle smile—which was odd coming from the man—and replied, "It's alright, Rebecca. I can hold the fort tonight, no need to worry. I am grateful for your offer but a young lady such as yourself should sleep as much as she can."

Hmph. He must be secretly harboring thoughts of my insanity and how I need to go get some sleep to stop it or something. "Captain Steiner?"

"Yes?"

Here goes nothing. "Would it be alright if you train me in the art of sword fighting? Only, I don't want to constantly bring the group down by not being much of a help so I was hoping you could give me some basics, you know."

Steiner's face brightened in the gloom. "I would love to teach you, my dear. You just wait and see! I'll turn you into the perfect soldier." Oh no. "You'll have to change into something more appropriate first but that can be easily fixed once we arrive at one of the villages." Stinky armor, just what I need. "And there's your training regime to think about as well! I believe some running should be done to get you into shape first and then—"

What the heck did I get myself into this time?!

* * *

A bell tolled in the distance. A festival started. And a young man woke up to a bright sunny day which would eventually lead to an epic string of events that will change the course of Time and the world forever. He had no idea of that whatsoever, of course.

Elsewhere, a young girl woke up and discovered that she wasn't in bed where she should be. She had short black hair cut just a few inches past her earlobes and a pair of humorous dark brown eyes. Stretching her arms, she yawned and wondered if she still had to go to school.

High above—no, higher than that I'm afraid—two figures stood in a spaceless, timeless world where words were even more powerful than life itself. Beneath them, the game-world buzzed with activity.

"Why did you make me choose this particular game?" The taller of the two asked, the rough baritone clearly indicating his male gender.

"Well it doesn't need a lot of energy to power." The other answered; her child-like voice carried a cherubic quality which made any angels listening in cry with envy. That is, if angels were allowed to_ be_ envious. "That means we get to give our Expendable one of the best SAs in the list, don't ya think?"

"But this game is longer than the average kind, Miss Jane. Surely—"

"Doesn't really matter, Primus." The young girl chirped. "A little birdy told me that the rules have been changed."

"They have, Miss Jane?"

"Mother thinks the Game needs a little more juice—it wasn't as fun as it used to be—so she tweaked the rules a bit. The Expendable doesn't have to finish the game anymore."

"And where's the fun in that?"

"Elimination through combat." Sharp teeth glinted beneath bright crimson orbs which glowed in the darkness, sparkling with excitement. "There will only be one winner this year."

Primus raised an eyebrow in question. Shrouded in a black shadow-like cloak, his face was the only part visible. "So we're allowed to go to other worlds and destroy their Expendables?"

"Nope! But our own Expendables can." Jane purred dreamily. "Just imagine the possibilities, Primus. Just imagine how much we can gain from winning this."

"Begging your pardon, Miss Jane, but I didn't know secondary powers would get something from the Game."

"Who needs an upgrade, Primus? I mean, yeah, you're a PS1 and you need it but I'm from the Seventh generation. As far as I know, we're the latest models so I really don't _need_ anything." Jane explained in her best teacher voice, bouncing up and down as she did so. "What I _can_ gain from this is respect from the Society. With the decreasing quality of the game-worlds we've created over the recent years, the Game was made to ensure a constant stream of inspiration for the Developers. If we pull this off, everyone will be talking about our victory for years."

"I guess I sort of get that but what makes our victory different from the past victories? We've been doing this for years, Miss Jane. I know I agreed to join the Game for you but I still don't get why you're so excited about winning."

"It's all about the style, Primus. If we make a good enough show, it'll go done in history. Trust me."

"You know I do."

Jane looked up at her burly companion, a toothy grin in her face. "Well that's good to know. I was afraid I'd have to kill you once this Game was over. Maybe I actually don't have to this time."

* * *

A/N: First of all, Rebecca doesn't really know the FF9 world that well. If she did, she would know that the Pollen causes blindness which can be cured with an Eye Drop.

Secondly, the last bit was just a glimpse of what is to come. There's no need to worry about all of the new characters swamping in and taking over.

Thirdly, there's no need to know any other world besides FF9. Yes, there will be mention of other PS games but they'll only be mentioned. Rebecca isn't going to any other game-worlds any time soon. Speaking of which, a salute to anyone who can guess which game our new Expendable has been brought into. Here's a hint: it's also a SNES game which was remade for the PS.

Questions, comments, suggestions, sanity, singularities (a.k.a. one-liners), and spam are all welcome but the last three will be ignored or reported due to their questionable credibility.

Thanks to my little sister for beta-reading this!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"_Do we even _have _homework this week?"_

_I shrugged and looked up at the light blue sky. Birds squawked at each other as they flew by, raining bird crap at some unsuspecting teenagers smoking near graffiti-defaced walls. Nearby, a young woman stared up, mumbling what sounded like prayers. One of the birds swooped in and grabbed the piece of bread she had by her side. Oddly enough, it dunked the bread on a cup of coffee _also_ sitting besides the woman before flapping once more into the air and disappearing into the horizon. _

"_Excuse me," I said to my small companion and brought myself to my feet. "I have something to do." Striding along the street, I took a lungful of fresh gasoline air, my mind void of any thought. I stopped in front of the woman and, with my eyes closed, spoke in a calm voice, "By the power vested in me by the Almighty Cookie, you have been given a second chance at life. Your slate is now clean of any crime. Change your ways and start anew."_

_With the words said, I returned to my companion's side and watched the woman gather her belongings before rushing to the interior of the mall._

"_Was that really necessary?" My companion asked, chocolate brown eyes stared back at me, waiting patiently for an answer._

_I shrugged. "I was given the Power. I have to use it because I'm the only one who can."_

"_And did this _Power_ of yours have anything to do with the fact that I'm stranded in a game-world like you are?"_

_I looked at her sharply._

"Rebecca, snap out of it."

"Huh?" I blinked and looked at Zidane tiredly, my mind still on the Cookie. The Almighty One and Only—

Oh shoot. Am I always this insane? I must not be totally awake from my dream state yet. This explains why I was almost eaten by the last five fiends we've passed along the way. I sighed. My dignity will never be the same again.

"Is there something on your mind, Rebecca?" Garnet asked, concern clearly written on her face.

"Yes," Steiner agreed. "You do seem awfully quiet this morning."

Well let's see. I dreamed I was some kind of cookie prophet or whatever, I miss my friend a lot and I want coffee. _Now._ And why couldn't I have the Moogle for breakfast? I made a face at that last bit and scratched my head. Completely twisted, I know. "Bad dream."

"Did it involve naked dancing men by any chance?" Zidane gave me a sly grin and a wink.

"Yes," I chirped, my face brightening. "It was a complete nightmare." Hah! Take that, monkey boy. If I had a tail like you, I'd wave it in front of your face. If I had a computer in front of me, I'd also put the appropriate smiley but alas, I am deprived of my technological needs at the moment. Wait. What was I just saying again? Well, Zidane was looking at me with a bemused expression on his face so I doubt it's any good.

Garnet let out a gasp, bringing our attention to her. "The Ice Cavern!"

We ran to the mouth of the cave and stared at it, our mouths wide open like cartoons about to swallow some massive food usually not of the healthy variety. Alright, so I can't really quite vouch the same for my fellow travelers but my mouth really _was _open. Good thing the bugs here are your larger-than-normal kind or else I'd have swallowed a few by now.

And since I was so distracted, I hadn't even noticed that they had already walked inside. Why do I feel so left out?! Am I just not meant to be here? Well obviously. I'm not a game character after all.

I bumped into Steiner who had suddenly stopped in front of me and was hopping up and down screaming something about not touching anything. I didn't really mind though because I was used to bumping into things and usually having to glue them back together. Then again, I suck at arts and crafts so it _often_ looks different after I try to fix it. Thankfully, Steiner isn't the fragile kind.

We trudged along the cavern in a single file with Zidane at the front and Steiner at the back. I pulled my jacket close and gritted my teeth, carefully walking besides Garnet. It's a good thing I'm wearing my winter boots. I still slip with them on but at least not as much as my normal shoes do. With knees wobbling about, I dragged myself up some blocks of ice and helped Garnet who was struggling to climb upwards as well. Unlike Zidane, the rest of us had mighty trouble in the ice; we can't just jump up on the icy floor and not fall down. Maybe it's the tail. Maybe it gives him something extra in the balancing department.

We stumbled through the next few tunnels, meeting monster-sized jellos, little beasties with furcaps and…furballs that have tusks implanted in their mouths? Now those scared the heck outta me. I had to run around in circles before Steiner had dispatched it for me all the while shouting orders like I'm some kind of natural born soldier who actually knows what I'm supposed to do. Hello? Do I look like I know what _redoublement_ means? I can barely do my Math right!

Ugh. Ok, so I was lying about that Math part but still! Maybe I should take up magecraft instead? You don't see Vivi trying to lop off some fiend's head. He just shakes his wrists and fireballs come shooting out of his hands. I might need to look for a pair of glowing yellow eyes though but I doubt they have those in the local market.

I can almost see the petrified look on Vivi's face if he could read my thoughts right now.

"Look out!" Garnet shouted. I turned my head. I fell to the floor with a thud as a large beastie jumped on top of me, its foul breath making my noise wrinkle with disgust. You know what? I think I'd be better off right now if someone shouted, "Duck," instead. Actually, "Bring your sword at this angle," would probably be my best bet but considering the fact that if I _do_ kill the monster with it above me, my shirt would be ruined from the blood dripping down from the beastie.

The smell of burnt flesh replaced the foul smell coming from the fiend's mouth. It didn't do my nose any good at all but it did make the monster get off me. As I carefully brought myself to my feet—I didn't want any joints suddenly hurting—I watched the monster dance around in a vain attempt to stop the flames which burned against its dull grey coat. I turned away and felt my gut wrench in pained sadness. I knew monsters had to be killed and all but it still hurts to actually see them die before your eyes. I had been lucky so far that I hadn't been able to actually witness a monster dying; I was often too busy running around, trying not to get eaten.

Zidane helped me to my feet and patted my arm awkwardly. I guess he wasn't used to overly emotional girls who had never experienced seeing something die before their very eyes. I wonder what Garnet felt?

With that in mind, I take a peek at our Alexandrian princess. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, giving the fiend one last look before walking to Steiner's side where the two exchanged words in a not so oh-why-must-we-be-cruel-to-these-poor-animals-slash-monsters kind of way. O-kay…? Am I the only one here who is even slightly disturbed by this?

…I guess that's a yes. I trotted after them and focused my attention on actually trying to focus my attention on my surroundings. Oh, and that statement happens to make no sense, no matter how many times I repeat it in my head.

We only encountered one more monster before we arrived at a tunnel with a frozen Moogle in it. I'm afraid to say that I had once again been ravaged—I mean, jumped on—by the monster in question. Don't ask.

If I was faced with the problem of a frozen Moogle, I would probably try to hack the icy Moogle-cube which would probably result with a dead Moogle and a heavy heart. Fortunately, we had Vivi and his handy Fire spell to prevent people like me from killing harmless little furballs with pompoms for antennae.

"Hot! Hot! Hot! You bastards," the Moogle shrieked and shook its fur. It stopped after a while and seemed sheepish. "Oh, I can move again. Ehehe. Sorry for that, kupo. Name's Mois by the way."

"Well, Mr. Moist," Garnet said, completely ignorant of the _real_ spelling of Mois' name, "I'm glad that you can move again. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"I'm alright now, kupo! And I think I should be asking _you_ that question, kupo. Since you all helped me, kupo, I think it'd only be reasonable if I helped you guys too, kupopo!"

"We don't really need—" Steiner began but was interrupted by the Moogle.

"I know, kupo!" Mois bounced off the icy plinth. With his red pompom bobbing back and forth, the Moogle walked to the left side of the room. With a cry of outrage, he stomped his feet up and down before sitting on the ground with a pout. "Darn it, kupo! I didn't think my stuff would freeze from the cold too, kupopo!"

"I'm sure Vivi can help you get them back if you ask nicely, kupo," I answered as politely as I could, mentally stabbing my big toe with a fork for trying to sound like a bloody Moogle.

"Really, kupo? I'd very much appreciate that, kupo," Mois said sincerely, his eyes wide with hope. "By the way, your accent is not that good, kupo. Lacks a certain kind of oomph to it."

What the heck?! Am I that bad with an accent that I can't even do Moogle? I sighed dejectedly and watched Vivi nervously comply with the Moogle's wishes. My nose twitched at the smell of burning ice. Maaaaan. I have a slight addiction to the smell of a fire burning, especially the kind you get from matchsticks.

…Hello, my name is Rebecca and I'm an addict.

"Here, kupo!" Mois said and dragged a slightly scorched knapsack towards the rest of the group. "I found these things in some chests while I was wandering in these caves, kupo! You can have them if you want, kupopo. I certainly don't need them, kupo." He flipped the bag open and took out some Potions, an Ether, a Leather Wrist, and a Mage Masher, dumping them on the floor. So _that's_ where those items went to. Wait.

"But we didn't see any chests along the way," I replied, barely stopping myself from another kupo. "Even the empty ones."

"Dunno, kupo," the Moogle said and shrugged. "Maybe they got frozen too, kupo, like I did."

Zidane sat cross-legged on the floor and started sorting out the items. He gave the Leather Wrist to Vivi and kept the Mage Masher to himself. His old daggers went to me with a wink and the words, "In case you lose your sword."

The nerve! I strapped the daggers around my waist and took out the belt for my sword. Unsheathing it, I made a mental note to ask Steiner later if there are ways to carry both weapons on my person. For now, I'll just carry my sword around.

What? You'd think I'd complain after getting a freebie? No way, man. I'm not that stupid. What if he asks for the stuff back?

Zidane gave the Potions back to Mois and thanked him for the items. He also asked Mois if the Moogle needed a letter delivered. I think it's common courtesy here; Zidane asked the same thing this morning to a Moogle who gave us a flute. A bit weird for a mailing system but who was I to complain? After all, I'm a weird one myself, being the only non-game character in this place.

We trudged back to the forked part of the cave after a quick goodbye to Mois who was heading for the opposite direction. I just hope he survives all those crazy monsters lurking about. I swear if I ever was left behind, I'd _cry_.

Taking out the handkerchief I always keep in my pocket, I take a moment to blow my nose before following my comrades once more. It really was getting cold in here. I stumbled and fell flat on my face, the taste of the snow not a welcoming one in my mouth. I didn't care though; I was really tired and sleepy…

Snap out of it, Rebecca! If you're left behind, no one's going to look after April's babies. Wait. What? I struggled against the snowy floor and managed to roll to my side where I could see things a bit more clearly. I knew I said something about mothering twenty-seven of April's children but seriously, that joke is getting _way_ too old.

I see Garnet's feet up ahead; the girl must have fallen asleep already. I yawned and closed my eyes, burrowing my cheek against the snow. If the team thinks it's time for a nap then I'm all for it.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open to be met in darkness, the kind I've seen before. I felt something or someone lift me off the ground which is a feat in itself. Honestly, I am that heavy. With my feet touching the floor once more, I turned around. Of course, the only thing I actually saw was a black shape. "Lights?" I croaked and gulped. I hope I don't pee on my pants now. I mean, that always happens in scary movies, don't you think?

Those last three words really piss me off actually. I mean, don't you feel as if you're accusing someone of not thinking? I think that is wrong. Then again, I shouldn't even be thinking such things right now, especially since I'm faced with a UFB—an Unidentified Foreign Blob.

Light shimmered from the figure, making my eyes water from the brightness of it all. If I knew this would have happened, I'd have demanded a pair of sunglasses first. Wiping my face of the tears, I squinted and saw to my surprise, a woman in her early twenties. She was broomstick-thin with curly hair and an emotionless mask for a face. She also had glowing red eyes which scared the crap out of me. I mean, isn't she aware that she looks like some sort of minion of the dark? And how come I'm reminded of a certain person when I look at her? That is, if Robin is actually considered a person. Another one of those _Playstations_ then?

"Hello," the woman spoke, her voice filled with so much sympathy that you'd think I was about to die or something.

…Or was? Insert dramatic music here. "Hi? Who are you?"

"I am," a moment of hesitation, "a friend."

"That's good…I think," I said, screwing up my face in thought. "It'd be nice though if you gave me an actual name."

"Zero," the woman spoke and folded her arms. She was trying to look calm but she's far too nervous in my opinion. Maybe she had too much coffee? But I'm not sure if coffee actually does that to you…or to a PS for that matter.

"Well, Zero, um…was there something you wanted to say to me or are you just visiting?"

"The rules have changed, Rebecca. Finishing FF9 isn't your number one priority anymore. Surviving is."

The heck?! "What do you mean?"

"They forced Mother to raise the stakes. The Expendables are now allowed to go to other worlds to eliminate the competition. If an Expendable finishes his or her game-world, that person is allowed to go and attack the others with even more power as their Playstations no longer have the burden of maintaining a game-world. Once everyone—"

"Wait," I said, feeling awfully dizzy, "whose mother? And what's an expendable? Am one?"

"Robin didn't explain to you any of this?" I shook my head. "Mother is our leader. She decides everything and she's the one responsible for the Game which you are a part of right now as an Expendable. The Game itself was made for the Developers, those who create new games. With the graphics getting better, the quality of the games has declined. Most of the games now are just for eye-candy."

"I can sort of understand that," I said and tilted my head. Oh who was I kidding? I can barely understand whatever she's saying! I blame it on the headache. "So let me guess. Expendables are humans like me who are placed in game-worlds and made to finish them because the Developers need some inspiration?"

"Yes, that is the case," Zero admitted. "Now, as I've said, once everyone has finished their game-worlds, a tournament will take place to ensure that there will only be one winner. This whole Game is going to turn bloody, Rebecca. You'll have to train yourself and prepare for the worst."

"Oh _fuck_."

* * *

Moments after Rebecca had disappeared, Robin stepped out of a doorway in the darkness and looked at Zero, her eyes worried. "Did it go well?"

"What do you think?" The whisper was barely audible.

"I think maybe we should have told her that there's a way out of all of this?"

Zero turned and stared at Robin's face desperately as if searching something in those blue eyes. "Are you backing out now, Robin? That's not like you at all."

"It's not like me to act all ignorant too, Zero. I just can't turn my face away to what might happen to her. If she dies—"

"Then you should have thought of this _before_ you decided to join!"

"How was I supposed to know? We were given no warning, Zero. Just a message that the rules have been changed. Does that seem fair to you?"

"Playing the Game never was." Zero spoke harshly and stopped, her eyes wide with surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so—"

"Brutally honest with me?" Robin laughed bitterly. "Why do you think I've always asked for your help? Certainly not to get compliments, that's for sure."

Zero's gaze softened. "Well if it helps, I have faith in our Expendable. She may not have the strength or the power that Expendables usually possess—"

"Don't forget courage."

"—but her heart's in the right place," Zero said with a glare to her companion. "Maybe she can find other ways to win against her opponents."

Robin shrugged and looked at Zero innocently. "Heck, maybe she can even talk her way out of dying."

* * *

A/N: If you've noticed, I don't really include the dialogue from the game. This is because I haven't played it in years and, although I do have a copy of the game script somewhere, it doesn't really feel original for me if I just add dialogue that's already been said several times. Plus, I only add commentary myself when I feel that it really is funny for me to do just that.

Oh! And I always forget this but...I really write short chapters that are usually six to eight chapters long. I just can't seem to write longer. I think it's because when I finish a chapter, I usually reread it thrice before posting it. (And I still get grammatical errors. Yey me.)

I don't know how Mois' name is pronounced so forgive me if I'm wrong. Plus, I love the word kupo. It makes my word count higher.

I've also mentioned this before but I'll say it again. There will be no updates of any kind for the next couple of weeks. I'm really sorry. Personal reasons. I'll still write of course, I just don't have the almighty Deadline looming over my head.

Oh, and one last thing. That dream at the start of the chapter happened to me. For real. (Except my friend didn't accuse me of bringing her into a game-world.)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Rebecca?"

"Yes, Zidane?" I asked as I followed them out of the cave.

"There's something I have to ask you," he spoke hesitantly and gave me a side-long glance. "Something important."

Oh _no_. He hasn't figured it out yet has he? Oh how my mouth betrays me. That thing about the naked dancing men must have been the final clue, I just know it! I twiddled my thumbs and avoided the look he sent my way. I know, I know. I'm androphobic…I admit it.

"How did you get inside the cannon?" Zidane demanded, sweeping aside the hurricane of thoughts which insisted on invading my brain and demanding that I make a good enough reason which will deny my having androphobic tendencies. I mean…never mind.

How did I get inside this canon? Because in some far off universe, an evil author-lord decided to punish me by sending me into the canon—

Oh wait. That actually doesn't make sense. For one thing, I wouldn't be sent into the canon as it is…well the original one I suppose. I'd probably be sent into the fanon which is a lot more logical. I looked at Zidane with two of my eyebrows raised in what I hoped was a confused look.

He seemed to have gotten the message because he clarified, "You know? That bomb thing? You flew with it and landed on the airship? Great balls of fire?" I watched his hands move up and down. Sadly, the clarification was not at all that clear.

Was he talking about a song? I think my brain's no longer functioning right. Let's see…known symptoms: unclear thoughts, off-topic comments, mild hysteria and itching in the brain. Well, I have all of them except for the last bit. I think.

"What foolishness are you talking about, thief?" Steiner boomed, his armor clanking angrily. "Are you aware that you just _suggested_ she arrive at the airship through such abominable means? She fell off a roof. She said so herself. Right, Rebecca?"

I nodded numbly. Abdominal means, huh? What does my abdomen have to do with all of this? I mean, I know it's a bit on the fatty side…Dear gods, the sun! Oh, how I miss it so.

I took a step forward and looked up at the sky with a wacky grin on my face. What can I say? I loved the warmth.

"She fell down a roof?" Zidane asked, flustered. His tail twitched back and forth with anxiety. "Was that really what happened?"

"Well it does sound a lot more logical," Garnet pointed out. My head snapped at her direction. Gaah! My hands flew to my mouth and stopped the scream that was coming from my throat. This girl is just too quiet, I swear! One day, she's going to give me a heart attack from all that sneaking around.

We all looked at Vivi expectantly. The small mage gripped his large hat tightly, saying in a small nervous voice, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't see anything because the brim of my hat was too large and because I was too focused on the fight. I-I only noticed the fire ball when it was behind Steiner."

"I was right," Steiner said with some satisfaction. "You must not have been seeing properly," he berated the poor monkey. I wonder how long I can stay on his good side.

"Captain Steiner, sir, I thank you for acting so defensively on my behalf but I'm afraid we won't achieve anything by standing here all day long, arguing amongst ourselves," I spoke up and gulped. "I fell from the rooftops and the memory itself is quite painful to remember so I would appreciate it if no one brings the topic up again."

"I just want to know if we have a spy with us," Zidane cried out in frustration. It was as if he was hiding something from us. It was as if something had happened that we don't know about. Did it have something to do with—?

The Serpent! How could I forget? After all, I was stuck in that part of the game for crying out loud. "I'm not a spy," I replied just in time to stop Steiner from another mini-rant. "I'm just a—," I hesitated for a moment and changed what I was about to say, "—foreigner who got thrown into this mess. I can't even fight for my life."

"True," Garnet agreed. And she's allowed to say that? Just because she can heal doesn't mean she's already a better person than I am. Actually…she probably is because she's a main character and I'm a mistake. Or as my _friends_ like to call me, an Expendable. "The style of her clothing is quite different from the style young Alexandrian ladies wear back home."

So you're a fashion expert now, eh? I bet you can tell me which part of the continent my _style _came from.

"Although I've never encountered such odd designs before," Garnet noted thoughtfully, lightly touching my dark blue jacket which was wet from the leftover ice which had decided to cling to my shoulders out of sheer stupidity. I mean, they're going to melt once I go outside the cave, right? Then they'd die and that was just stupid.

My brain, being a firm believer of the Slow-Reaction style of thinking, gave me sharp jolt of surprise. My arm jerked off Garnet's touch. My body propelled downwards, hitting the ground with a thud. I'm just happy I didn't fall off the pathway; if I did, I'd be dead by now because it really was a long fall from here to down _there._

"Is something wrong, Rebecca?"

I lifted my head and rolled to my side, looking up at the sky with a grimace on my face. "I wish." I grumbled. "I'm just really really tense right now. Sorry."

You mean you just really don't like having anyone touch you. I closed my eyes and brought myself to my feet, taking a moment to let the dizziness go away.

"Guys, I think I see a village there," Zidane said. I opened my eyes just in time to see him stand on tiptoe. Will I get an instant Game Over if I push him off this place? I made a face and folded my arms. Then again, they'll probably think that I _am _a spy if I do just that.

"Let us go to the village. Perhaps we can find a means of going to Lindblum from there," Garnet urged us.

"Hold it!" Steiner boomed. "What do you mean, Lindblum? We're going back to the castle."

"I have no intentions of going back, Captain Steiner," Garnet spoke icily. "Not until I have gone to Lindblum."

"Then wouldn't it be better if we head back to the castle and arrange an airship from there to bring you to the city of Lindblum, Princess?" Steiner asked hopefully. I looked away. No man that old should still be able to do the puppy dog eyes. It was just…scary.

"No. I'm sorry, Captain. We don't have time for that."

I raised a hand uncertainly. "Um…I would just like to point out that if you do want to go to that village, you'll need a new identity. Since you'll be traveling without an official escort—Captain Steiner is only just one man, after all—the chances of someone attempting to harm you might be larger if we continue to call you by your name."

"Are you suggesting that there are people out there who are willing to harm the Princess?" Steiner asked, still in a bad mood.

I shook my head and raised both hands in what I hoped was a gesture of peace. "Surely Alexandria has enemies, Captain. Besides, what if there are other thieves out there more dastardly than Zidane—"

"Hey, I heard that!"

"—who are willing to kidnap the princess for ransom."

"Good point," Zidane agreed grudgingly.

I'd have shot him a superior look if I wasn't playing the eager-to-please fool right now. Instead, I turned to the princess and spoke in the style of a servant cowed by royalty. "Of course, if your Highness disapproves of this humble idea—"

"Oh no," Garnet said, surprised at what I had said. "Nonsense, Rebecca. I think your idea is brilliant." I ducked my head and played with hem of my shirt. "Now, what name do you think I should use?"

I pretended to look thoughtful. Of course, I'd prefer to have her stick as close to the canon as possible. Besides, I've never been good with names. My hand brushed against one of the daggers Zidane had given me. I pulled it out and offered the blade soundlessly to her.

"What is this called?" She asked, accepting the dagger with curiosity.

"Dagger," I spoke roughly and coughed. Clearing my throat, I took a nervous glance at the others and said, "It's a dagger. There are other kinds of course but…"

"You want her name to be Dagger?" Steiner asked. "Isn't that a bit…eccentric?"

I shrugged. I had never gotten to this part of course so I wouldn't know how the original scenario played out…all I could do was hope that they all accepted the name that I had "thought of." If I hadn't actually had that Final Fantasy IX craving a couple of years ago, I probably wouldn't know much about the game at all. What had escaped me were details like this. How am I supposed to know how Dagger will decide to use such a name?

"Can you think of anything else better?"

Steiner glared at the young thief and looked at Garnet sheepishly. "Well…what about Brahne? After your mother?"

And you're calling my suggestion eccentric. Huh. Personally, I think the name will only draw more attention to the princess.

"That name's going to attract a _lot _more attention, Rust-bucket." Zidane spoke crossly. _Well thanks for stealing my opinion, Monkey boy. _I thought, sporting an expression just as annoyed as the one Zidane wore. "Anyway, Dagger, we'll have to work on your speech too. You can't just act all formal with everyone. It definitely screams royalty." He stared at me briefly before adding in a cheerful voice, "You too, Rebecca. Lots of people here who don't like foreigners, you know."

"Does that mean I have to change my clothes too?" I asked, dismayed. I couldn't leave my clothes here! What if someone discovered that I was actually from a different universe?! Then again, they'll probably think the same way if I _do_ continue to wear this.

He nodded gravely. "There are people out there who might question where you came from. Speaking of which, where did you come from exactly? Even the clothes are unfamiliar to me…and I've gone to a lot of places."

"A lot of illegal ones, I bet," Steiner grumbled under his breath.

"Um…" I looked down and kicked a pebble off the mountain path. "Treno?"

"That explains the way you sometimes sound formal like Dagger here," Zidane nodded at the princess who seemed a bit uncomfortable at being mentioned. "I don't get the clothes though."

"Imports," I answered and waved my hands in a nonchalant way. "And if you're wondering why I don't have any gil on me…I was mugged when I had arrived at Alexandria."

"I had nothing to do with that, honest!" Zidane denied, shaking his head profusely.

"I wasn't implying that you were."

"Oh, um…Ok," Zidane said, looking relieved. "It gets kinda hard to remember, after a while, who it is you've actually mugged."

Sullying your own reputation by saying that aloud will not help you get a better relationship with the princess, you idiot.

"Achoo."

"You, Ok, Dagger?"

"I'm quite alright, thank you for your concern," Dagger said and sneezed again.

Zidane hopped down a couple of steps and looked up at the princess with a grin on his face. "I think you meant: I'm good, thanks." Oh right…the number one rule for making it look like you're speaking street slang: shorten everything.

I sneezed. Oh _crap._ "I think we better leave before everyone gets the sniffles."

* * *

It was dark again. Suddenly, the place shimmered with bronze-colored fire, sweeping along the place and spiraling around cold metallic bars, bringing it warmth and life. In the middle the fire went before dispersing to reveal a small girl with the features of a fallen angel from the heavens, walking calmly towards the swing and sitting primly with the ease that only royalty could possess. At once, the place was alight with a blinding white that clung against the darkness and devoured it.

A shoe was the first to appear as another being stepped out of a portal, looking quite disgruntled and worse for wear. "Do you really insist on meeting me here, Miss Jane?"

The child giggled. "It's fun here, Primus. The swings are more obedient, the sand doesn't try to get to your feet and your hands don't smell of sour milk after holding the chains for too long."

"Sour milk, Ma'am?"

"Oh, and I just dropped a dragon in one of the other game-worlds."

Primus looked devastated. "But that's against the rules, Miss! You'll have to ask the permission of your Expendable first before you're allowed to attack someone else with a fiend or-or a dragon for that matter!"

"Calm down, Primus," Jane said, the picture of perfect innocence. "I've already asked our Expendable and she has agreed to let me attack anyone who stands in her way of winning."

Primus couldn't help but notice that Jane had said me rather than us. He also couldn't help but feel that something had just gone horribly wrong. Nevertheless, he decided not to speak of the matter. "If you remember, Miss, the Expendable must also first know our…victim before the attack can commence."

"Whoever said she didn't?"

* * *

Journeying to Dali wasn't as easy as I thought it was. Hey, you'd think Dali was nearer too, if you were standing on top of a mountain path and everything else looked smaller. It's like pointing at a map and saying that the distance was real short all the while ignoring the small fine print at the bottom which was about converting centimeters to kilometers.

With the last bit of energy I had with me, I trudged to the interior of the Dali Inn and looked around blearily. Zidane had gone to the front to wake the sleeping innkeeper as the others waited patiently near the door. My eyes flickered to meet Steiner's. I sighed.

"Zidane," I called out wearily. "Zidane."

"Hmm?"

"Steiner and I are going to have a look around," I said, rolling my eyes. I tugged my shirt and shrugged. "We'll come back a little bit later, Ok?"

"I shall—I mean, I'll come too," Dagger spoke up. She'd been given a crash course at talking _properly_ and, I have to say, she's learning a lot faster than I can run. Which is to say…not by a lot.

Steiner spotted a group of kids as we stepped out of the inn. Walking ahead of us, he had a word with the little fellas before nodding back at us and jerking his head at the direction of what I think is a store.

"Rebecca," Dagger spoke up, interrupting my quiet time.

"Hmm?"

"How…old are you?"

I pushed open the door and shot her a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…since you _are_ traveling with us…I thought it prudent of me to ask you a bit of your background."

Eh? Why do people keep thinking I'm not to be trusted?! Is it because of my normally unfriendly face? I am not a spy damn it! "Fifteen," I quipped. "And if I were you, I'd say something along the lines of, 'I want to know you better,' rather than something like that. Just doesn't sound like something normal people would say."

"Alrighty!" She said, brightening. I wish I could do a double face-palm right now. That Zidane just _had_ to make her start using that word. "Wait…Rebecca?"

What _now_? "Yes?"

"I must have misheard you because I just heard you claim that you were fifteen."

Oh bugger this. "I'm claiming right, Dagger. I really am fifteen."

"You are?!" Steiner asked, making me jump and scramble to the front of the room where things were less crowded.

"Are you going to buy anything?" The shopkeeper asked, struggling to maintain a please-go-ahead-and-use-my-shop-for-your-conversation smile on her face.

"Do you sell clothes? Something similar to what I'm wearing right now?" I inquired before I was further embarrassed by those two.

The shopkeeper, Eve from the pin on her shirt, wrinkled her nose in disgust and grumbled in an annoyed tone, "Travelers these days…always relying on us little shops to give them clothes and whatnot…I mean, do they really need to have their new clothes modeled with the old ones? Don't they get tired of the same outfit?"

"Oh…um…I don't need them to look like my old clothes," I murmured, staring at the floor. "I just really need new ones that I can be comfortable with."

"Finally! A smart costumer," Eve beamed. "Why don't you two stay here while I help your friend find some clothes?"

"I should come; perhaps I can be of assistance," Dagger suggested.

"No!" Steiner and I shouted at the same time, drawing looks from the other people in the room.

"I don't really need any help, Dagger," I assured the girl, hoping that I hadn't offended her or something. "Besides, the Captain here would feel very lonely without you." As I slipped into a different room with Eve, I couldn't help but wince. That just sounded so weird. It was like that one time when this guy accidentally dropped to the ground and hit me and I was saying something about him hitting on me.

My communication skills are just plain pathetic.

Clothes were shoved my way. "A tank top?! You're expecting _me_ to wear a tank top."

Annoyed eyes stared back at me. "Then choose them yourself. Jeez…costumers these days…"

I made a face and looked through the racks filled with clothes. By the end of the first line of clothing, I was worried. By the second, I was cursing under my breath. By the third, I had acquired a slight eye-burn and had given up on humanity's taste in clothing. "Miss?"

"What do you want, kiddo?"

"Can I go to the men's section, please?"

The harried shopkeeper pushed me to the other side of the room and pointed to the one rack at the very end. Figures. Men were never given much variety when it came to clothes. I should know…I shop at the guy section all the time.

Since I was prone to the cold, I decided to grab a black long-sleeved shirt which did not hug my form in anyway. I would look ridiculously gross if it did. Along with the shirt, I also took a pair of dark green khaki pants and a leather jerkin for protection. After changing into those—Eve had kindly turned her back for the sake of my privacy—I took a moment to stare at the mirror before doing a face-palm. My fashion sense really did suck. I was tempted to grab a large dull grey jacket which would effectively hide most of my features but reasoned that I probably wouldn't be able to breathe under it.

I removed my gloves—I didn't like how they fitted with the shirt—my eyes lingering on the scar on my left palm. A botched up attempt at a suicide? As if. I curled my hand and placed the gloves on top of my things.

"Miss Eve, do you have a pair of gloves and something for my weapons?" I inquired politely. I had already pissed her off and let's face it; I won't get a discount any time soon if I keep acting like an ass. Not that shopkeepers usually give discounts…but it's still nice to dream.

With my clothes dumped on a medium-sized rucksack—Harvest Moon comes to mind for some odd reason—we went back to the main part of the shop where Steiner and Dagger were waiting. A twin set of baldric-like belts were strapped across my chest, the knives which Zidane had given me were slung at my back, easy to reach. Around my waist was the belt I had worn before. There, my short sword hung.

Dagger looked like she didn't know what to make of my appearance. Maybe it was because she was expecting something a bit more feminine from me? "You look…fine."

Steiner made a noise of disapproval. "You will not last in battle without some proper armor, Rebecca. Of course, I am quite aware that the armor will only hinder you so perhaps a set of weights on each of your shoulder blades will do. That way, your shoulders will soon become accustomed to the weight and we can change that jerkin for some proper protection."

"Weights," was all I could squeak as I stared at Steiner, mortified at the idea.

"Only a little bit at first and once you're used to it, we'll be able to make it heavier later," Steiner said thoughtfully. "It's a good old-fashioned way of training soldiers and I can guarantee that it'll work on you." To Eve, he asked, "Will you be able to supply such a harness for my young charge?"

"You'll have to wait for a couple of hours," Eve said, looking somewhat defeated at the thought of all the work she had to do. "It's gonna cost a lot of course."

"That is alright." I tuned them out as they started bargaining for a price. Something from the counter caught my eye. A pair of black fingerless gloves with a metal strip sewn on the backside—or whatever you guys call it—called out to me. It wanted to be worn. So I wore it.

"Done!" The shopkeeper said triumphantly. From the looks of it, Steiner was going to lose a lot of gil right about now.

"Can you add this to the things I'm going to buy?" I asked and raised my hands. I was originally planning to force Steiner into buying some clothes for himself as well but I doubt the money he has is enough for the two of us. Maybe I can find a way to get some gil?

Thanking the shopkeeper, we headed back to the inn to rest. Instead of going inside though, I stopped and looked up at the sky. "I'm going to take a walk through the village," I said, stretching my arms. "I'll be seeing you guys later."

"Are you sure you are not tired?"

"Naw. I'm good," I said, waving the concern aside.

Once the two were gone, I went outside the village and unclipped the sword I had from my belt. I was also tempted to remove the daggers but decided not to in case I encountered some fiends. I hid the blade behind some tall grass after a bit of hesitation—there might be some Pokemon hiding there after all. I then remembered that there was no such thing as a Pokemon in this world and proceeded to mentally slam my head against a wall.

Jogging lightly, I followed the path along the village and let my legs carry me. It didn't take long for me to be breathing through my mouth. Before I could even finish the circuit, I was already walking to the starting point which was only a couple more meters away. Why was I doing this again? Oh right. Because I wanted to be better at running, particularly the running _away_ kind.

A huge shadow fell on the village, making me look up. My blood ran cold. A dragon, a bloody bleeding—well not literally—dragon was flapping its wings, hovering on top of the village, making everything else around it look smaller. Currently, it was staring right at me.

What did I do next? Run of course, despite the fact that my legs were already screaming murder at me. That's when I realized something. What if it destroys the village? My conscience won't live this down if I don't go back and warn the others. I skidded to a stop and stumbled, falling flat on my face for the umpteenth time. Gravity must love me or something.

I pushed off the ground, ready to run back to the village when I froze. It was coming after _me_. Why?! I'm just one kid and although I was fat, there were still a lot more people there to fill its belly. I must have this big sign on my back, saying: _'Eat me!'_

Move legs move! Clammy hands reached for the two daggers at my back. The dragon opened its mouth. Don't breathe fire on me, please?

The only sound I could hear was my own heart thudding against my chest as I stared right up at the dragon's mouth. It wasn't a very comfortable feeling, mind, and the putrid smell of the dragon's breath made me shudder inwardly. At last, my knees which were weak with fear, gave out and the invisible barrier which had stopped the dragon only seconds ago from biting my head off seemed to have disappeared as well. I rolled to my side and wished I had brought my sword. It's my fault for losing my common sense on our way to Dali. I swear I'd still have it with me if Zidane hadn't sprung that question on me.

"_How did you get inside the cannon?"_

Well obviously because my PS—which isn't even mine because I've never even owned one—threw me into this world in the hopes of winning some stupid game. Selfish? Yes. Practical? Hell no. I am not physically fit; I have no combat training whatsoever and even my sense of humor is running dry.

On the plus side, it seems I can repel some attacks. What kind? Why now? What makes this so different from my other fights? How can I use this to my advantage? The questions just kept rolling down my mind like water down a waterfall.

And yes, my analogies suck even more when under the pressure of potential bestiary attacks. Gosh…I don't know what I just said again.

I jumped on top of the dragon's snout and tried to stab it with a knife. I might as well be making stabs at a ten inch wall made of stone. Letting the knife go, I scrambled upwards and screamed. The sweat on my hands was making it very hard for me to hold onto the dragon's head. Not only that, I was also being carried several feet off the ground as the dragon took flight. There is no way I'm going to let myself fall off the ground. _Again_.

Pulling out the remaining dagger I had on me, I did the only thing I could think logical. I plunged the knife against the dragon's fiery golden eye. It slid so damn easily…I let go and felt myself fall downwards at a height I have no plans on measuring. It was a dragon. It was trying to kill me. It did not deserve to get injured in such a way that was probably more agonizing than I can imagine. My eyes fluttered shut as I felt anger flood through my veins…anger towards myself. Well…I'm dying anyway so it doesn't really matter now, does it?

…Why is it taking so long for me to die?! Wait. Is that grass I feel? I opened my eyes and moved to a sitting position, surprised that I could even move into a sitting position. Ahead of me was the dragon, thrashing about in pain. The anger swamped me once more but before I could do something incredibly stupid, I was bombarded with images I've never before seen in my life.

_The rising of the sun greeted me. I shoved the last of my shell-birth with the end of my nose and spread my tiny wings, soaking up the warmth. Up above me, Mother crooned lovingly as she flapped her wings, circling our home on the roof of a mountain. She dived downwards and landed on her hind legs with a grace of a professional. I reached out to touch—_

_I roared playfully as I swooped down to nip my birth-brother's ear in a gesture of affection. He growled back in annoyance and lashed his tail at me, singing about the hardships of raising a draconian young. I moved closer and let my nose touch—_

_I danced. A rush of utmost euphoria hummed underneath my scales as I eyed my mate with tender admiration. As the music of the wind whispered its last notes, I dipped my head in a bow of respect and brought my talons to touch—_

_It was almost over. The time of waiting was nearing its end. I looked up at the sky, waiting patiently for my mate to bring back meat for us. My gaze rested on a pale blue egg which shimmered with the life of my young. With a sweeping motion, I unfurled my wing and touched—_

_Confusion. Fear. Where was I? This was not my world. I howled in pain and misery. Something caught my eye. A human. A child. There was a feral smile on its lips. _Kill her._ I heard it speak in my mind. _Her death is your path home.

Enough! I wrapped my hands around my waist and rested my forehead against the cool grass. Vomit was the last thing on my mind and the first thing my mouth wanted to do. I gasped and forced myself to glance at my assailant. Large stone spikes were embedded against the dragon's back, making me convulse in shock. Did I do this? Did I cause this…thing to happen?

Salty tears flowed down my face, blurring my vision. I wasn't sure what had happened but I knew one thing was clear: the dragon was dead and I was at fault. A fresh stab of pain thundered inside my skull. My arms which were around my waist loosened. I fell to the ground with a thud. The darkness was welcoming.

* * *

A/N: Oh dear. I didn't expect this chapter to be this long. Sadly, I doubt I'll be able to produce chapters of this length ever again. We'll see. (Another problem is the fact that with such a long chapter--for me it is anyway--I was only able to reread it once. Mistakes are bound to happen. Please point them out so that someday, when I'm not terribly busy, I'll be able to edit all of my chapters with your reviews in mind.)

I really do loving smashing the fourth wall into bits. Terribly fun I tell you. For those of you who don't know what the fourth wall is, look it up. I'm sure you'll be amused. Or frustrated. Or hungry.

Oh, and I actually researched "Symptoms of a Malfunctioning Brain." That's where I got the part about the itching...

Thanks to all of my reviewers. I swear, compared to my other fics, the reviews you've given me are the most fun to read. I shall look forward to more of them.

A heads up to Icy the Fox's Casualties. It's FFTA (Final Fantasy: Tactics Advance) but it still rocks. Having knowledge of the game is not even needed because most of the stuff about that world is his own creation. Anyway, I ripped off an idea from that fic (when Rebecca is going through the dragon's memories and it always ends with the word touch...) so I thought it deserved to be mentioned.

Lastly, special thanks to Tabansi for a lot of things...but most especially for giving me strength and supporting me when I felt so lost. Gaah! Now I feel embarrassed.

See ya next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A burst of violet light followed by the sound of a body crashing on the floor. Zero groaned and rolled off her friend's motionless form, hissing curses underneath her breath. With a gesture of her hand, the blank empty space was replaced with furniture. She grunted and dragged her friend into a white polyester couch. "Wake up, Robin."

"Don't want to," replied the half-asleep AI, trying to shove Zero's hands away. "Pain…"

"Your Expendable is going to die if you don't wake up at this instant," Zero spoke as calmly as she could. Robin nodded and continued pushing her hands away, murmuring incomprehensible words. The PS3 let out an impatient sigh and stabbed her index finger at one of Robin's tickle spots.

"Daahh!" Robin jumped and clung to Zero's neck like a cat which had just been splashed with water, her legs wrapped around the woman's body.

"Geroff me," Zero grumbled through a mouthful of Robin's hair. "Rebecca's in danger."

"Oh." Robin gently unlatched herself off her friend's torso, straightening the woman's collar and smoothing her crumpled blouse with careful shaking fingers. "Sorry," she said, coughing embarrassedly. "Forget…what I just did."

"Gladly," Zero said without a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She grabbed Robin's hand and sighed, "Really now, Robin; we have more important things to do than you feeling sorry about doing certain…comical acts. As I've said, Rebecca is in danger of being attacked by fiends. She's outside of Dali village without weapon or energy to fight any creature that comes her way."

"I know," Robin ran her fingers through her snowy white hair, her blue eyes frantic. "I had…the misfortune of experiencing it with her. Did you see the size of that dragon?"

"I did. I wonder who could have sent that when Rebecca hasn't even met any other Expendables as of yet." Zero spoke thoughtfully. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she shook her head and said, "Anyway, that's not important right now. We have to go there and save her, Robin."

The Playstation shook her head and cracked her knuckles. "We don't need a direct intervention here, Zero. There's a much more efficient and energy-saving way." She offered her hand. "Control Steiner."

"Excuse me?" Zero looked slightly flustered. "And how do you suppose I do that?"

"I ultimately run the game, Zero," Robin spoke, her eyes unusually serene. "Therefore, the Core Data is within me. I can't control the PPCs myself because of this…but you can."

"What do I have to do?"

"Hold my hand…and trust me."

* * *

Steiner's eyes snapped open. He slipped off the lumpy bed which was a bit too small for him and grabbed his Rubber Helmet which he put on before examining his surroundings. He was a bit surprised to be the first to wake up but immediately reasoned that the monkey was probably too lazy for his own good and that the princess and Master Vivi were probably too tired from the journey still. His eyebrows met in dazed confusion as he looked around once more. Where was Miss Rebecca? Surely the girl had gone to sleep by now; they had a tiring day after all.

Silently making his way to the front of the room, he took a peek back in case he had missed anything before trotting to the outside of the inn. Something inside him told him that he had to go to the fringe of the village. He did not have to walk far before he realized something. A battle of sorts had taken place outside the village. How no one had managed to notice was a mystery to him. Then again, perhaps the villagers were so used to having fiends ramble around their parts that such things were deemed normal.

He examined the flattened grass and sniffed the air, his nose picking up the scent of ash and fire and smoke. His eyes darted across the green field, surveying the damage of the monster that had ravaged the place. From the looks of it, the beast carried the element fire in its veins and was large to have caused such destruction. Scorch marks caught his eye, bringing him farther away from the village. He bent down, touched the burnt grass and knew that whatever had transpired in this place had happened not too long ago; it was still feeling slightly warm. If his predictions were correct, a dragon had been here. It was quite logical after all; a dragon had an element of fire—they can possess other elements as well although this is rare—and had just the right size for this kind of damage.

With that in mind, the battle would have probably happened at least two to three hours ago as the warmth of dragonfire lingered longer than the normal kind. Who the dragon battled with remained a question for the observant captain. The answer presented itself in the form of a curled up teenager in the field of Steiner's vision. He jogged across and almost stumbled on something. Picking himself up, his eyes fell on an all too familiar dagger. It was the one Zidane had first used against him…it was also the one which Zidane had given to Rebecca. Wrapped around its plain hilt was a wooden bracelet which had but two beads that were different from the others. After further inspection, Steiner could not help but gasp. Two crystallized dragon's eyes stared back at him, its yellow irises clear against the reddish-orange stone. He shivered. These stones were capable of massive damage when used correctly. He had heard of tales spoken by bards when he chanced a visit at one of the taverns in Alexandria and knew enough not to underestimate them.

Wait…if this was one of Zidane's old daggers…

"Rebecca!" The man shouted in alarm, making a run, once more, for the unconscious teenager. He went down on his feet and grabbed the young woman's shoulder, the dagger he carried momentarily forgotten. "Wake up!"

* * *

Disorientation. It was the first thing that came into my mind as I struggled into awareness. I guess it was my way of trying to describe what it felt like to wake up with a massive headache and dizziness with a scale factor of eleven over ten. I blame it on the earthquake.

…earthquake?! Oh _crap_.

I pushed away from whatever force was holding me and clutched my head, hoping like hell that no debris would fall on my head. By then, the earthquake had stopped but I remembered hearing about aftershocks from my teacher so I remained where I was, my eyes half-closed.

"Miss Rebecca."

Shut it, will ya?

"Miss Rebecca."

There's an earthquake, you bloody ass. Bother me when it's over.

"Miss Rebecca, are you alright?"

I looked up in annoyance and found Steiner staring down at me with a worried look on his face. I blinked and squinted. The light from the sun made things hard for me to see. Of course, seeing as I am a logical creature, I had already realized something important. I was hungry.

…and there probably was no earthquake in the first place. Probably.

"I'm fine," would have been what I said, honestly, but what came out of my mouth was this instead, "Blech." Ok. So I can't really remember what it is that I said since I was mostly busy vomiting on Steiner's steel-toed boots. Yes. Me. And Vomit. In the same sentence. That scares me a lot…you know that?

I heard a sigh come from the burly man and felt strong arms drag me to my feet. Still dazed, I could not focus my attention on where we were going; I was too busy trying to ignore the heavy feeling which pervaded through my body and acted like a parasite that ate my energy away. I shivered as my body slumped against a rough wall, wincing as my back stung with pain. I sensed something being laid down besides me but could not force my head to move and see what it was. I contented myself instead by watch Steiner as he tried to wipe off the…little present I had given him and walk through the grasslands as if searching for something.

As you've noticed, my humor completely fails me when I am this tired. I can barely think of a joke and I have no plans of doing such thinking because if I laugh…if I laugh, there's going to be a lot of hurt involved.

With time on my hands, I sink into a contemplative state, reflecting, once and for all, everything that had happened so far. Normal people would have freaked out at being sent into another world, especially without warning. Normal people would have panicked at the thought of having to fight other people who are probably a lot more versed at the art of fighting than I am. Normal people would have not get mauled on by monsters twice their size because they'd actually be _paying attention_ to their surroundings. Normal people I am not, sadly enough.

I think it's because I'm good at lying to myself. I can warp my mind into thinking certain things and right now, I'm thinking that this is all just a big joke my head's decided to drop on me and at any moment I would wake up and everything would just be a big weird dream. I know it's wrong, the pain itself is evidence enough that everything I've gone through is real…but the subconscious mind is such a powerful influence on me. So long as I continue to believe that this _is_ unreal, I can continue to live through this game without worrying about all those stupid things people usually worry about.

Did I mention I miss my computer? The songs in my MP3? My family? The kind of civilization I grew up in? The voices of my friends as they laugh at my silly jokes? No…wait…that last one doesn't really count because my brain is capable of mimicking their voices. Whether this is a good thing or not is still questionable.

_Of course it's questionable. It's you we're talking about after all. _

_And shut it, Ellie. I don't _need_ your opinion right now._

Where was I? Oh right. I miss a lot of things. But that isn't the point. The thing is, I…I go with the flow. Every action I've made hardly makes sense. I don't know why I can't treat Zidane and Dagger properly. I can understand why I'm being nice to Steiner though but the thing is, I am still so messed up. I am a walking contradiction.

Admitting that sounds weird. I let out a bitter laugh and coughed hard, my back arching with agony. My vision blurred even more, making it harder to see. My left arm curled around my waist while my right hand reached for the grass on my side in the hopes of clinging to something solid, something real. Instead, I felt something else. It was solid alright…but it wasn't part of the ground. I lifted it slowly, and saw the dagger Zidane had given me. A spasm of guilt jerked the knife off my hand. I breathed hard and fell to my side, my eyelids threatening to close. I gasped and let out a scream. Shit. Why did this have to happen again?

* * *

"It's done," whispered Zero as she let go of Robin's hand. They turned their heads in time to see dual screens pop out of nowhere. For a while they watched in silence, a certain black-haired girl the objection of their attention. Needless to say, there was _a bit_ of affection in there too, but neither would readily admit to it.

When the ear-splitting scream came, it brought worry in the form of matching frowns onto the two AIs. They had not anticipated such a reaction from their Expendable.

"What's happening, Robin?" Zero demanded, her red eyes furiously seeking answers from her stocky friend. "I controlled Steiner for a while so I know enough that she doesn't have any serious wounds on her body to cause—"

"That's because it isn't a physical wound," Robin replied through gritted teeth. Her eyes narrowed into mere slits while her hands curled into fists that shook. "Damn that insufferable conscience of hers! It's fucking her up badly."

"What do you mean?"

Robin took a deep breath and sank into the couch Zero had summoned for her. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she tried to calm herself. "It's my fault," the AI whispered softly. "I chose her because she…was different. Have you seen the other Expendables, Zero?" The other woman shook her head. "Most of them were chosen for their shitty pasts. About ninety-five percent of this year's Expendables have gone through something massive before entering their respective game-worlds. You know why? It's because these people are angsty as hell and you know how the Creators are. They _love_ the emo brats. They'd even applaud you if you manage to bring a human who has some sort of unexplainable disability.

"There's also the state of their mindsets to think about. With so much hate and anger being harbored by these humans, they don't really care about the people they are endangering. They kill to become better; they kill to become more powerful. Of course, there's always the handful who eventually change to become better _nicer_ individuals but even _they_ are getting pretty rare nowadays."

"That doesn't really explain what's happening to her," Zero spoke, her eyes flickering every few seconds to look at the pained teenager. "How is she different?"

"She cares about everything. Unlike the others, I've specifically chosen her because of her bright attitude. There's nothing wrong about her past…and she's generally a good kid. I just…I guess I was feeling kind of vindictive after watching so many Games. Understand, Zero, that Rebecca is unique. She doesn't have some sort of training that would give her an advantage but she has the heart and determination to—"

"Get herself killed," Zero cut in blankly. "_You_ chose her because of her ability to love indefinitely…and her ability to get along with almost everyone. _You_ chose her because _you_ wanted to be different. _You_ chose her because _you_ wanted to prove to the whole damn virtual world that even the really nice kids get to have their moments. Has it ever occurred to _you_ that maybe all along it's always been _you_ that you've cared about?"

"_Mother_, Zero! You think I don't know that? The first time you've confronted me was enough. I know I'm selfish for doing this but…I wanted to see if there was a kind enough soul out there who can play through this Game without avoiding a massacre. There has been too much blood-letting lately, you know that, and now…" Robin stopped in mid-rant and waved her arms furiously as if trying to say something.

Zero, seeing that her friend would speak no further of the subject, picked up where Robin had stopped. "Those new rules Mother has set. It's going to make the casualty rate double, is that what you're implying?"

"Yes."

Zero sighed and sat beside her friend, wrapping her arms around Robin's drooping shoulders. "You're hurting too, aren't you?"

"We're connected, Zero. Whenever she goes through an extreme emotion, I feel it too."

The crimson-eyed AI pulled away to bring her friend under careful scrutiny. "I didn't know such a relationship existed between the PS and his or her Expendable."

Robin shook her head and pushed back the hair that had covered some part of her face. "What I'm feeling right is basically my end of the bargain of having to give her such an SA. You know how it functions right?"

Zero nodded. "It does make sense. What I'm still wondering about though is what causes her to act this way."

"Ever heard of the placebo effect? That is what's happening to her…except it affects her negatively."

The AI gulped and found her mouth uncharacteristically dry. "She believes that she has to suffer and because her subconscious mind believes it as well…she's suffering because of her imagination?"

"She's suffering because she wants to," sighed Robin. "There's nothing I can do, Zero. Besides, now that I've had time to think about it…the pain might actually be of some use to her."

"In what way?!" Zero hissed, tightening her hold on Robin.

"It just might be her incentive to actually work hard. Think of it this way, Zero. I've hurt others. I've hurt them real bad and I don't want that to happen again. If I could somehow become stronger…maybe I can prevent such a thing from happening again. Maybe I can avoid another death."

"And by thinking like that…she does specifically what you wanted her to do in the first place. She does what you chose her initially for. Do you think she can do it?"

"Why do you think I gave her that SA in the first place?" Robin laughed bitterly and stood up, shrugging away the hold Zero had on her. "Admittedly, I was quite surprised that even such an SA actually exists. It was like…the SA was especially made for her."

* * *

Primus felt all energy drain from him as he stared at the screen before him. What the girl had done was simply…impossible? Unrealistic? Certainly questionable, in his eyes. Jane, from the looks of it, wasn't even the slightest bit surprised at all. "Miss Jane…"

"That lady sure is lucky," Jane quipped and clapped her hands in delight. "Heck, with the luck she has, she might actually prove herself to be a challenge! Then again, with that PS3 helping, I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. And converting the dragon into a pair of crystallized dragon's eyes? Pure genius! To think that she would even do that…I mean, a dragon is essentially magic and the fact that she thought of concentrating it and turning it into something the girl might use…Zero is truly a worthy rival."

"Miss Jane…"

"Yes, Primus? Is everything alright?" Jane turned to her hulking companion, the sweet innocent smile she so often wore replaced with an even brighter smile, the kind which would make ordinary mortals die from extreme heartache.

The blond man shivered and looked away. "Aren't you…angry that she's managed to destroy the dragon?"

"Angry? Me?" The child giggled and patted Primus's arm like she would a pet dog. "You needn't worry, Primus. It takes _more_ than that to make me angry."

"Which SA do you think she possesses, Miss Jane?" Primus asked hastily, his arm jerking away from Jane's touch. The child was a PS3 and one of the most powerful of her generation. Having so much power in that tiny body of hers made it somewhat difficult for the young girl to control it; often times, a trickle of power would slip from the girl's grasp and the feeling of being touched with her monstrous power left Primus's knees shaking with fear.

"The SA of Emotion, Primus."

Primus's eyes grew distant as information was fed into his memory banks.

**Specimen Name: Rebecca Sanders**

**Basic Information:**

**Nickname: Rebecca/Becky**

**Age: 15**

**Height: 5'8"**

Primus blinked and skimmed through the list, ignoring most of the data on Rebecca's Bio. The information was average at best, with no extraordinary features that actually stood out to the silent AI. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

**Special Ability:**

**Name: Emotion**

**Level: B+**

**She is able to fend off any kind of attack, physical or otherwise, with this ability. To be able to activate it, she has to be experiencing an extreme emotion. Within this ability, she may also be able to control a certain Element to an extent although this skill is very draining to use and will likely exhaust seventy-five to eighty percent of her energy levels. **

**Known side effects: She is able to see through other people's memories when they are experiencing an extreme emotion as well.**

**Physical side-effect: Her eyes will change in color when the ability is activated. The color will depend on the emotion she is feeling at that time.**

**Notes: The ability would have been rated higher if it were not for the difficulty of usage—not a lot of Expendables can control their emotions, making this ability a risky choice—and the fact that this ability mainly focuses on defense. **

"Primus?"

"Hmm?" The AI grunted, turning his gaze towards his Second who tugged on his shirt with a pout.

Jane puffed her face and tried to pull the man towards one of the empty screens. Muttering to herself, she flailed her tiny chubby arms and yanked fruitlessly. "We gotta plan for the next attack. No time to waste. Gotta impress the oldies…"

Primus snorted and shook his head. Jane…the child was a tyrant…that much he knew. When the PS3 had first gone to him with the offer of joining the Game, he knew that her intentions were not simply for pleasure. Nonetheless, he agreed to the arrangement, reasoning that the upgrade would do him good. He initially didn't want to join because he wasn't much of an ideas man but with Jane to do the thinking for him…he was all for it. The childlike innocence she had would fool no one who knew her well but just now…Primus made a face and looked up at the engulfing darkness that was not to be mistaken as a ceiling. _Is this part of the act as well? Or is there really a part of her left that's pure kid and nothing else?_

* * *

A/N: First of all, my late salute to both NewtThatGotBetter and black-red-blue for answering my question from chapter four. I honestly keep forgetting to mention this.

That said, I have a lot of stuff to do this week so I decided to post this now while I still have the time. Next chapter might be a bit late because I promised myself I'd try to update the other fics I'm writing. Don't worry. Summer vacation is only a week away so after this week, I'll be able to focus on my writing once more.

The almighty KVH has created a forum for SI writers. The link is located near the end of my Bio. You guys should definitely check it out. (Especially the girls. Please? I'm the only female there right now!)

Reviews of any kind (except spam because I really don't like eating it) are welcome and very much appreciated! They keep me from getting lonely at night. They are also the ones that keep me from getting hungry…

Yes, I'm a sucker for reviews.

And Steiner rocks! (But Vivi is still the best.)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

It was Art class. The air smelled of fresh paint and dust and the lingering scent of weed. I wrinkled my nose and went back to working on my clay masterpiece. (If masterpieces were often described as lumps of clay with finger marks on them and moulded in the shape one would assume a kindergartner had created.) The bell rang blaringly as it usually did, making me jump from my seat. Notice how I said usually. Despite the fact that the bell-ringing was anticipated, I still managed to be surprised about the whole thing. Yey me. I'm such a sod sometimes.

I looked up and met April's eyes. She was always the second to come to class—me being the first—though this mostly happens when Art's immediately after lunch. Having declared myself as a nomad, I don't really have a permanent group to hang out with so I usually end up alone, walking along the hallways, traversing the dangerous convergence points and evading Massive Groups of People Who Will Do You Bodily Harm If You're Not Careful. Actually, I used to hang out near my locker but people kept tripping on me or acting as if I'm staying there because I haven't made friends—oh woe is me!—or something along both those lines.

Why, I remembered a certain _someone_ who liked to run to me, scream, "Bother! Bother! Bother!" against my ear—spit flying everywhere—and stare at me for a couple of seconds before declaring that I was just too gosh-darn creepy for my own good. Ellie does this every once in a while to make sure I feel loved. I still haven't thought of a good revenge plan.

"How's your Clayman going?" April asked, managing to look both interested and cheerfully ignorant of the clay dripping down her shoe. I hastily wiped my hands of the grime that clung to them and returned her smile with my own less enthusiastic version.

"Well, I'm still having trouble putting on those very anatomically correct parts," I replied as innocently as I could and watched her face redden. "Other than that, I'm doing swell! See, it actually resembles something now." Score one for the Rebecca Team. Screaming fans amok! Or whatever!

...Damn bloody thoughts being so bloody damn random. I snorted and made a face which resembled that of a one-eyed pirate licking his favourite ice cream futilely.

Seeing as I'm turtle-slow about most things, I've only realized something now. That something being that I was back. In the real world. Where people don't wear armour unless it was for show and monsters only came out at night when you were asleep and you just had too much of that favourite sticky snack of yours.

Of course, I did the only thing I deemed logical at that time.

"I'm back! Woooh! I'm back!" I grabbed April's hands with my dirty clay-coated ones—though I've tried wiping them before, some of the clay had already hardened and was still there—pulled April off her seat, and waltzed her around the room in a style very similar to the drunken fist without the actually fighting. "No more Dali, no more thieves. No more angry lookin' fiends!" Other students who had managed to ooze in without my knowing, stared at me in confusion. "No more flyin' to certain deaths! No more thinkin' I'm on meds." I didn't care though. I was back! And that was all that mattered. "No more damsels in distress, no more swimmin' in some freaky mess! No more consoles speakin' crap, no more travelin' with a map!"

"You think it's over?" The cold voice shattered my happy dreams of running away to join the circus. Wait, what? "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Rebecca, but if you think you can escape the Game, think again."

"But I'm back. I'm here. I'm in the real world again." I waved my hands, looked around and felt my stomach drop. The familiar faces started shimmering like they were just holograms or something.

"Fix their faces in your mind, Rebecca. You might never see them again." Those eerie words came from April's mouth, making my stomach dive head-long into the varnished floor. She _never_ spoke like that. I gulped and stumbled backwards. This _so_ isn't happening.

My arms and legs felt heavy. My gaze fell downwards and, to my surprise, dull metal gleamed against my wrists and ankles, taunting me. My throat constricted. My eyes watered with unshed tears. _Why?_ Why me? Why did I get thrown into this? Why did _they_ keep aggravating me with these...dreams? It was bad enough that every single day didn't pass without me being in some form of danger or another. It was bad enough that my body never stopped aching all over despite whatever amount of Potions I take. It was bad enough that _I_ had to kill others just to stay alive. It was bad enough that I had to fight other Expenda-whatsits if I want to survive. (And worse was the fact that I am not even athletically-adept to think I can handle them other players.)

_Why?_

I gritted my teeth and braced my feet against the floor. When April stepped towards me, probably readying another slew of hurtful words, I pushed myself forward and slammed my weight against her. She thumped against the floor, her eyes wide, her mouth broadly gaping. Using my knees to pin her lower body, I leaned forward—the weight of the chair very much noticeable now—and pressed my forehead against hers. "I don't know who you are," I hissed, "but if you think you can just use my friend's body like that to injure me in some way, you're gonna have to think of something a little bit more creative. Coz I'm not really in the mood to be all nice to you and whatever asshole spawned you."

One would think that after such threats, the victim would shrink back with fear very much evident on her features and an apology just about hanging from her lips. Oh how _wrong_ I was.

"Hah. Asshole that spawned me? Newsflash, Rebecca: your subconscious _mind_ spawned me," she spat back. Before I could retaliate however, hands roughly grabbed the chair on my back and flung me away from April. I felt my feet leave the ground and the next thing I know, the bloody chair was resting against concrete wall, all tilted-like. One move and I'd be sprawling on the ground face first.

_Oh shit._

Our Art teacher suddenly appeared in front of me, wearing a leather apron and a large welding mask that covered her usually serene face. Large puffy mittens carried a rusty old pair of thongs. _"Open wide now."_

Scary dentist-act much?

A hot burning sensation crawled inside my throat as a brightly glowing metallic rod slithered inside it, courtesy of our _ever so kind_ teacher. I wanted to scream, to gasp for air but _it_ blocked the path. I wrestled against my bonds, cursing and clawing and _crying. _NO!

"Rebecca!"

Forehead slammed against forehead as I made one last attempt to free myself of captivity. Cracking my eyes open, a very worried face greeted me. I fell down on my bum as he lost his hold of me. "Captain Steiner, sir!" I grimaced and coughed, my chest hurting like hell.

"I've never seen someone react so violently to a Phoenix down," Steiner grumbled, throwing an empty bottle over his shoulder. Hey! That was littering! "You were dreaming," the knight explained gruffly, unaware of my passionate protests at what he had just done, and offered me a hand. "It wasn't a very good one, was it?"

All thoughts of making him put his hands up and accusing him of violating the laws that protect our wonderfully green environment were shoved at the back of my brain. "No." Suddenly, I was cold...like someone just dumped a bucketful of freezing water on me.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

My legs felt like they've recently acquired the same flexibility as that of jello. "I just...miss my friends. Is all. You don't have to worry about it, sir." I accepted the rucksack from him—it was probably the one where I had kept all of my clothes though it felt slightly heavier than usual—and wondered why we would need it now. We weren't already leaving...were we?

He must have seen my questioning frown when he answered, "We might leave at any time, Rebecca. It should only be logical to carry our most important belongings with us at all times."

"Oh."

His grip on my shoulder helped steady me; I was about to trip on a fist-sized rock that just happened to be in the way. With a murmured thank you, I matched my steps with his and concentrated on not falling flat on my face.

I'm beginning to wonder what had caused me to dislike this man a long time ago. Then I remembered that he had just done the environment a disservice by being a lazy bum and not recycling. "It's part of our human nature to regret things, Rebecca." He finally said after some thought. "I know...facing whatever you faced today must have been hard on you but you're strong. You'll get through this, Rebecca. As knights, we were taught to value life and to never take it without reason. Do you think you had a good reason to do what you did today?"

"No. Not really," I admitted and followed him inside what looked like an old-fashioned pub. "I just...I was desperate. And scared. Killing that...creature was the only thing I could think of doing. Not that it was her fault anyway."

He looked perplexed by my answer and was on the verge of asking something important when the girl behind the counter caught his eye. "Ma'am?"

Whew. I've been saved again. For some reason, I always find myself slipping up at the most inappropriate moments. I really need to have that foot of mine surgically removed from my mouth. It's getting to be a nuisance.

"Please call me Slai," the girl, looking only slightly older than I, bowed gracefully. "Do you need anything?" She inquired politely.

"A bowl of pickled soup, some bread, and a tall glass of milk for my friend here," the knight boomed in his best Captain voice and patted my back roughly. Earthquake! Gaaaah! In a more normal voice, he asked, "Do you need any help, Miss Slai?"

She shook her head and smiled in a pretty enough kind of way. "No, thank you. A young man with the most..._charming_ tail offered to help me earlier with the firewood so, other than that, I don't think there's anything that you can do for me right now."

The food smelled delicious—and I don't even like pickles!—though I did eye the glass of milk suspiciously before digging in, "Thank you!" Did I mention how irrelevant everything else is in comparison to food? Yeah. Totally ignoring that hint about Zidane there.

"That'll be fifteen gil."

"So...where are all the adults around here?" Steiner asked as he sat on top of one of the barrels they had there for seats. His hand produced some copper and silver pieces, pushing them forward in a manner that said he was trying and failing to be sneaky about the whole affair. I guffawed and wiped the trail of milk trickling down my nose. Steiner shot me a questioning frown. Note to self: never laugh when one is drinking a glass of milk. It's gross, I tell you.

"Oh...they're far away, working. They only come here once it's nightfall."

Woah! Great manoeuvring skills! I smell a secret. Blink. And milk. "What do they—?"

"What means of transportation does your village have? You see, I'm escorting a certain someone to the Alexandrian castle for reasons I cannot tell you."

I rolled my eyes and went back to devouring my lunch. It's like they're playing a game of Who-Has-the-Bigger-Secret?

"Oh! So you're from Alexandria, eh?" She seemed relieved. I wonder _why_. "If you go to the observatory east from here, you can speak with Morrid! He's the one in charge with the cargo ship headed for Alexandria. You should go there and talk to him."

You're just eager to have us out of your sight. "Morrid you say?"

"Yes, miss!"

"Right." I gobbled down the last piece of bread, grabbed Steiner's arm, gave Slai one last weary I-Know-There's-Something-You're-Not-Telling-Us look—complete with the two-finger salute—and stormed out of the place with the grace of an ugly duckling.

"Rebecca!" I turned around and looked at Steiner in the eye.

"She's hiding something from us." I stated as bluntly as I could.

The subsequent laughter surprised me. "I _knew_ she was hiding something from us, my dear." He tapped his nose and winked in a manner that suggested he can do two things at once: twitch the muscles near his left eye and tap his nose. My eyebrows involuntarily scrunched together in a reluctant rendezvous. "But finding out what that is exactly isn't our main job right now. Making sure that the princess gets back home to Alexandria safe and sound is."

Aye, aye, Captain.

I let him lead the way, my thoughts revolving around the rest of the group of people. Were they still sound asleep or were they too busy exploring around the place to notice that Steiner and I had disappeared? From what Slai had mentioned, I'm guessing that at least Zidane is out and about. Knowing that sneaky bugger, I doubt he'd care if Steiner had been left behind. I'm just not sure if he feels the same sentiments about me. After all, I had taken Steiner's side in all this, though I did try not to butt heads with him. I shrugged it off and, instead, took a look around the scenery. Trees grew in clumps from the west and north horizon. I remembered passing some of those trees along the way and shuddered at the memory of a fiend trying to gnaw my leg off. _Not_ a happy thought.

The scorched grass and flattened foothills that we had left behind before were barely there anymore. It was like this world was _healing_...and at such an alarming rate too. I blinked. How was this so? Was it because of the magic that surrounded this place? A glitch in the game? Or was that Playstation meddling again?

My eyes fell on a gloved wrist. Around it was a handful of wooden beads dyed in black and strung together with hemp. Two different beads gleamed at me. They looked to be a darker shade of orange and felt warm when touched. They also felt...familiar.

Questions plagued my mind as we crossed the grassland to reach Morrid's observatory. It wasn't too hard to find, which was a relief seeing as how I'm already lost enough as it is in my thoughts. I can't be lost physical-wise too, else-wise, I'll just end up being someone's supper.

I didn't even try to ask Steiner about anything. To do so would have me treading in uncertain territory. I do _not_ want to have to explain to a character in a game that his kind doesn't really exist in what I deem "the Real World." That dragon was after me and, considering the fact that I _suck_ at keeping my mouth shut, one _right _question from him and I'm a goner. They'll be carting me to the nearest mental hospital and leaving me behind to fend off whatever monster is sent next.

My best bet is to _try_ and keep my mouth shut, train as hard as I can when Steiner finally gets around to giving me some lessons, and keep a low-profile in case others are searching for me. I don't know why They would take such an interest in a weak-willed, athletically-challenged and reckless kid like me but it sure as hell isn't because I'm pretty. I cracked a grin at that. Pretty? Damn _far_ from it, more like.

We arrived at the observatory after what seemed like forever. Actually, a lot of things feel like forever to me: the three minutes it takes to cook a cup of noodles, the thirty-plus minutes it takes for my sister to finish her bath, and the seven and a half minutes it takes for the bus to pick me up for school. Walking short distances was no difference to me.

From the sun's position in the sky, it looked like nightfall was approaching. I wonder if we have enough time to get back to the village before the sun sets...

"Yes?" A wrinkly old man with a snowy white beard and a permanently drooping frown peeked from behind a massive wooden door. "I'm a very busy man so if you please tell me what you are doing here and scram; I would appreciate that ever so much."

"Are you in charge of the vessel heading for Alexandria, good sir?"

"Mostly, I just do maintenance work," Morrid spoke with a shrug. "They have someone else to operate the ship for them. Is that all? I really am a busy man and I have to have my cup of coffee now or else I'll be tearing someone's head off in the morning tomorrow when I go back to Dali to check the ship for repairs."

"When will its next departure be," asked a worried Steiner.

"Haven't you heard me, you silly lad?" Morrid admonished crossly. "Tomorrow morning! That's why I'll be going there come sunrise. So I can look over the damned ship before it takes flight. Now shoo!" He bellowed, slamming the great wooden oak in front of our faces.

…wait. Coffee? Gimme!

"Oh, Morrid, sir!" I shouted, thumping loudly against the door with great urgency, my fists turning red from the countless beatings.

"What now, child?" The old man fumed.

"Did you just say coffee a while ago?"

"…Yes?"

"Can I have some?"

"No!"

"Even if I said pretty, pretty please with sugar on top?"

"Even if you said pretty, pretty please with sugar on top."

"But-but…don't you recognize a fellow coffee enthusiast when you see one? We could be brothers for all we know!"

"Brothers?!" He squeaked, his face shiny red with confused embarrassment. "I assure you that we are in no way related. Brothers indeed! You're not even male."

"Not related?!" I asked, mortified, and slapped my left hand against my chest. "Do you not realize that the same blood which flows in your veins, flows in mine? Do you not realize that we whose blood have been so diluted by the coffee that we continually...digest are indeed related in that manner?" I moaned on, shaking my fists in the air with such dramatic flair that there was no way he could refuse me now!

"No! And that's final!" The door banged shut, leaving me gaping at it like a fish waiting for a hook to appear. Wiping the spittle off my cheek, I gave Steiner a don't-ask glare and stomped away before realizing that I didn't know where to stomp away to.

Oh _great_. Just...bloody well _great_.

"I think maybe we should set up camp," Steiner said innocently, his back turned against me. A hundred gil says that man is trying very hard not to laugh right now.

Taking out the worn bamboo flute a Moogle had given us along the way, I took a deep breath...and began to play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on it.

Hey, it's the only song I know! Jeez, you all are such...music geeks sometimes. Honestly.

"Kupopo!" A big block of something crashed against me, knocking me to the ground. For a moment, I saw red little pompoms floating around my head. Then it became one...then it became attached to something white and furry-looking...then it hit me in the nose which triggered a sequence of sneezes from me. I rolled away from the pompom and had my nose introduced to the wonders of gardening. Eh...what?

Oh _great._

I refrained from saying the almighty jinxed words that would indeed make my life worse than it already was despite what had happened and dragged myself off the comfy grass I was currently lying on. "We're making camp here?" I inquired through a mouthful of green that wasn't related to any vegetable family that I know of.

Blech. How the hell did that get there anyway?

"A bit farther north," Steiner replied and nodded to the Moogle. "If you will follow us, good sir?"

"Name's Clay, kupo." The Moogle spoke, trudging along with us.

"So uh...how did you get here so fast, Clay?" I gulped down the kupo I so desperately wanted to add at the end of my question. "You were a real blur a while ago."

"I have Running Shoes, kupo. It's issued to us Watchers. Some ride chocobos though, kupo. They're in charge of picking up the trash. And of course, there are those who have kupo Teleport Stones for when there's an emergency situation or something." Clay explained, beckoning to the dark green boots he wore on his feet.

"Watchers?"

"We help set up tents and watch over you, kupo. That's the basic job anyway."

"Do you get paid for this?"

"A meal usually, kupo, but it isn't mandatory."

"Oh."

Wow! I didn't know the Moogles were so kupo important in this world! I grinned inwardly. They sound like a cool race and now I have this great urge to glomp the kupopo out of that little creature.

He must have felt hungry vibes coming from me because he moved a little faster to match his step with Steiner's. "Do you have any letters for Clay, kupo?" The Moogle asked eagerly.

What?

"I'm afraid not my keen companion, but if you wish to mail someone, I'm willing to take a letter for you." Oh right! The Moogle mail system, Mognet. How could I forget?

"A big kupo thanks, kupo!" Clay handed Steiner a letter. Where he got it...I have _no_ idea. This world's logic is still beyond my grasp, I'm afraid. Next they'll have extremely long and heavy objects come right out of my rucksack, I'm sure of it.

Resisting the urge to eye said object suspiciously, I followed them for a while until we reached a good spot for camp near a small sloping hill. Handing Clay the Tent I had found after a bit of probing around inside my unsurprisingly bottomless rucksack, I took a few precarious steps back and watched in fascination as Clay waved his hands, muttered a few chosen words, and had made the Tent look more like a Cottage.

I felt a yawn escape my throat and looked at Steiner who inclined his head to the Tent. Ladies first. Of course. Rolling my eyes, I trudged inside the Tent and went to one side of the place where a bedroll called to me. I was asleep in seconds.

Literally, that wasn't true at all, seeing as how people supposedly had to _wait _for a full six minutes before falling...

...I really wanted that coffee. Morrid was being a jerk. Maybe I should have offered him something in return? No, serves...him...right...

I wonder how April and the others are doing...

Maybe I should name my Clayman Clay...

...or maybe I should make my Clayman look like a Moogle in memory of Clay.

...Wait. Is Clay dead?

How can Clay be dead? Isn't it just a kind of sticky mud or something?

Or maybe it's something along the lines of Rock is dead in that...

...no one wants to play with Clay anymore?

I wasn't aware Clay was an actual living organism.

Which came first? The Clay or the Clayman?

The Clayman, obviously. Who else would...have...made...the...Clay?

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

I'm going to kick you in the ham-and-eggs, you fiend!

Truly, 'tis an egg-citing day today, my friends!

Stop egging him, Ellie. You're only making things worse for all of us.

Eggs...

...Eggs?

I smell eggs!

My eyes snapped open as my body mechanically moved into a sitting position. I'm hungry! I scrambled—haha, scrambled eggs—to my feet and pushed the flap of the Tent open to take a peek on what's cooking—both literally and figuratively—outside.

"Breakfast!" My cry of elation startled the two hunched figures crouched near a small fire. I let out a nervous laugh and scratched my head. "Sorry about that."

My legs somehow got tangled in a sea of knots as I tried to crawl outside which resulted to another one of my pratfalls. Er...that is to say, if pratfall includes the face area too.

"Eggs!" I grabbed the piece of offered bread and urged the egg to change its place of dwelling. Through a mouthful of food, I asked them curiously, "Where did you get the equipment to cook this?"

Clay waved a furry hand and pointed to the small backpack he had carried the day before. "It's part of the Watching package, kupo. We carry cooking and eating utensils in case you guys don't have your own."

"We were very fortunate to find a nest near here. Sir Clay was kind enough to provide us bread as well," Steiner added in and gave the Moogle an approving smile. He must be thinking about recruiting them furry buggers for the army. I sure wouldn't mind! Moogles are cool, kupo!

Not that I actually get a say on all this but hey, he's my teacher so that must at least count for something.

"When will we be leaving for Dali?"

"As soon as you finish your breakfast, Miss Rebecca."

And there he goes again with the whole "miss" thing. I thought he had realized by now that such things like honorifics aren't needed when you've been traveling with a companion for some time now but I guess I was wrong. Jeez, what I just said sounds so boring and bland. Sort of makes me feel like opening my mouth and going, "Blah." Projectile vomiting is what I like to call it.

"Whatever happened to just Rebecca?" I asked after finishing off my breakfast. "I mean, surely now that we've agreed on my becoming _your_ student the honorific shouldn't be necessary, don't you think?"

There I go with one of those "don't you think" phrases again. I swear! One of these days I'm going to choke myself with a crowbar and large amounts of duct tape.

His face was pink with pride at the thought. He nodded sagely, "I suppose you are right...Rebecca?"

There's a good lad! I gave him an encouraging pat in the back and stood up, stretching sore muscles. Sometimes, I just wish they could stick an IV full of Potions on me. Then I wouldn't be in so much pain lately.

With Clay taking down the used up Tent, we set out for Dali. I was slightly guilty over the fact that Clay had to do all of the work but he seemed used to it, his nimble hands discouraging me from helping, seeing as I might only get in the way.

"Miss—I mean, Rebecca?" My eyebrows raised in question. "Umm...remember what you said?" Steiner asked in nervous excitement. "That you're my student now?"

"...Yes?" What are you trying to get at this time, Steiner?

"How should you call me then? Sir Steiner? Captain Steiner? How about Master Steiner? Or-or _Instructor_ Steiner? Don't you think that one has a nice ring to it?" He looked like a child about to get a big piece of chocolate. The groan bubbled near my chest but never made it to my throat. Well, too bad. He'll have to make do with a smaller piece.

"I think sir should do, sir." I spoke meekly. "Especially if we're working on my fighting. It wouldn't do if I shouted out: 'Yes, Instructor Steiner, sir!' After all, that's quite the mouthful. If we're among the others though, would Master Steiner do?"

"Aaah, yes." He seemed content. A mini-version of me appeared in my mind's eye, wiping off the non-existent sweat from my face. "Master Steiner."

Eventually, after walking and walking and walking and walking to the three hundred and thirty-fourth power times twelve, we arrived at Dali. The sun had just gotten around to spreading some of its lovely heat all round so I wasn't shivering so much and thinking about murdering little fiends for their warm and fuzzy coats anymore. Instead, my eyes focused on the airship that rested near the village's crop fields. We moved closer to take a better look.

I sneezed so suddenly—I was allergic to early mornings—that my head hurt from the sudden movement. I stumbled backwards and hit one of the crates that they were loading. A squeak came from it, making me jump. "Who's in there?"

"Rebecca?" A small frail voice could be heard from the wooden barrel. I examined it and tried to pry off the lid on the barrel. It came off after a few seconds of muffled cursing and much pulling in my part. Out came Vivi and Zidane, both looking the worse for wear.

"Where's the Princess," cried an outraged Steiner who had noticed what I was doing and _hadn't _even _bothered_ trying to help. Hmph.

"Right here!" Another voice greeted us. Steiner immediately came to her rescue. I sighed.

"Did you guys spend the whole night sleeping in this thing," I said instead, lightly teasing Zidane who glared groggily back at me.

"Yes," he grumbled. "Where were you guys anyway? We didn't see the two of you at the village at all."

"Oh _that_," I waved his question aside and stuffed my pockets in my hands. I mean my hands in my pockets. Seriously, _what_ has gotten into me?! "We had to make a little side trip to old Morrid's place. He had some excellent coffee. Too bad we couldn't get some."

"You went there for _coffee_?"

I frowned. "I assure you it was no social call. We just went there because he happened to be an airship mechanic and was in charge of this big lug. The knight wants to go back home to Alexandria. Unless of course...you have a plan in mind?"

"Maybe," Zidane spoke, a smile creeping along his face.

"Then you better—"

A large gust of wind made me topple to the ground and knocked the air out of me. I hate you, ground! Stop being so damned attracted to me. I struggled to my knees and looked up from a curtain of bangs. A tall wizened thing looking like one of Vivi's older brothers stepped towards us, his yellow eyes fixed on the princess.

_Oh shit._

"Give me the princess!"

* * *

OMAKE: Mackenzie the Mog Treasure Hunter

Part One: Message in the Bottle

Mackenzie wriggled on top of the too-large chocobo and cursed for the umpteenth time his horrible luck. He had been assigned to the Cleaning Corps., the least sought-after job in the whole of Gaia. His sole task was to pick up trash—trash!—left behind by irresponsible travelers who don't know the difference between a recycling bin and a compost heap.

He snorted at the idiocy of other humanoids and pulled his chocobo into a slow canter, his mind still on his misfortunes. Moogles were one of Nature's most dedicated servants; their whole lives circled around the preservation of Gaia's natural riches. This meant they have jobs that focus on the world's cleanliness—thus the name Cleaning Corps.—the safety of the other humanoids who live in it—the Watchers—and perhaps, the most important job of all, which was ensuring the balance of the world. This was the one job Mackenzie coveted the most. The job of a Mog Knight.

Of course, there were others who chose to steer clear from that path, leaving behind the responsibilities left to them by their ancestors to live almost human-like lives. One such example was Stiltzkin, an irritable cousin of his, who decided to become a traveling merchant after days of being scared kupo-less by crazy travelers who did the most...unusual things inside their Tents. Mackenzie rolled his eyes and slid down Boco whom he felt was always eyeing him hungrily. He had always regarded Stiltzkin as a brat—after all, the kupopo Moogle didn't land on the worst possible job ever—and didn't believe that a Watcher's job could be as horrifyingly terrible as his own.

He picked up the empty Potion bottle lying on the ground and was about to put it inside his messenger bag when something caught his eye. A piece of paper, yellow with age, was curled inside the small vial, piquing Mackenzie's curiosity. With diminutive dexterous hands, he pulled the paper out and took a look at its contents. What he saw made his jaw drop in surprise.

It was a map and—not just any map!—it seemed to lead to some kind of treasure. The Moogle felt his heart beating quickly against his chest and gulped rather loudly. Was this a sign from the Fates? Was he destined for something other than cleaning up people's messes? He jumped on top of Boco—something he had often failed to accomplish—and stared at the dwindling sun, his chest puffed out in some kind of heroic pose.

_Gizamaluke's Grotto, here I come, kupo!_

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger of doom! Wahaha. It's so good to be back.

The song Rebecca made up in her dream is based from the one that goes along the lines of: "No more homework, no more books. No more teachers' dirty looks." Yes, I was feeling insane when I wrote that part.

I like Competent!Steiner better than the original one, so there. Any complaints about how he should be a total ass right now will be ignored.

Any inconsistencies regarding Morrid and the Moogles in general are my fault, seeing as I do not have an in depth knowledge of FF9. The same can be said for the messed up timeline. I really doubt the canon had them spending the rest of the night in a cramp little barrel.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is the first song I learned to play on the recorder. Nuff' said.

To anyone who notices the really really small FF4 reference, I salute thee.

The word-dream is totally confusing and should not be taken seriously. I just wanted to do that after experiencing one myself in which I woke up with my brain murmuring words out of a fantasy book for me. Strange.

Two things about future omakes: one, they'll only keep on appearing if you give me a good amount of reviews (if not, I'll be PM-ing them instead) and two, they won't always be about Mackenzie.

Thanks to Tabby who made me start this and thanks to armless-phelan and his fic This Could Be Trouble for inspiring me to finish it.

Five reviews for an omake, people! (And yes, yours count as two Tabby. Just because.)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

And let your scrawny little hands violate this magnificently flawless angel? Nevah! I jumped to my feet and saw them staring at me like I did something stupid again. Which usually happens to be true, considering the fact that I _am_ an idiot. "What?" I asked and only then did I realize something. How come I don't have a say on what goes out of my mouth nowadays? Oh right, I keep forgetting that it's a sentient being, capable of embarrassing me.

Thankfully, Steiner had started glowing at that very moment, drawing their creepy skin-crawling attention off me. Wait. I wasn't aware people could glow. Unless...he was going on a Trance like Zidane did in the Evil Forest?

"You shall not touch the princess, you filthy fiend!" He bellowed, the words sounding like a war cry. Zidane, who was the first to recover from the sudden outburst—mine or Steiner's, I have yet to figure out—took advantage of Steiner's single-mindedness by jumping on to the man's back. Yelling his own, less-deafening version, he leaped into the air and plummeted downwards with the speed of a flying spear. The Black Waltz—I knew what it was called, having had to face the damn thing several times in the Ice Cavern—was too busy fending off Steiner's heavy blows to notice an aerial attack. From the looks of it, Steiner's Trance seemed to double, almost triple, his strength. Reminiscent of the Jump attacks a Dragoon does to his enemies, Zidane plunged his dagger straight to the Black Waltz's chest.

Roaring in disbelief, the Black Waltz stumbled backwards and raised his staff with both hands as if offering it as a sacrifice to some strange gods. "We _will_ have the princess in due time! We _will_ bring her back to Alexandria where she belongs!"

Fire sprang from him, engulfing us all in a tidal wave of flames. Before I knew it, I had scooped up both Vivi and Dagger in my arms and had closed my eyes, willing the sadness of a death—even one of an enemy—wash over me. Energy sprang to my veins, filling it with a somewhat gentle inner heat that seemed to do battle with a more violent one—the one that the Black Waltz had summoned.

"Rebecca?" A voice squeaked from my left armpit. Oh hell. Do I smell that bad? I opened my eyes and pulled away, my body feeling oddly cool. I looked immediately for Zidane and Steiner and saw them just outside of the burnt area. That meant that they had managed to run off in time.

"What...happened?" Dagger asked, her eyes trained on me.

"Yeah, you were all inside his attacking range but none of you were hurt," Zidane stepped towards us, his eyebrows clashing fiercely against each other. His shoulder carried a first degree burn which Dagger immediately healed; that meant he hadn't escaped the flames completely unscathed.

I would have worried about Steiner too except Dagger and Zidane seem to be giving me these meaningful looks that say I need to think up a lie...and fast.

"I don't know," I spoke, inwardly cursing myself for my honest streak. "I just...I just knew that I had to protect Vivi and Dagger from his attack." Nope. No word of strange new powers at all. Thank you, mouth, for being quiet this one instance.

Yes, I'm imagining hand gestures just to emphasize that.

"You..." Their gazes left me as Steiner slowly rose to his feet. He looked deathly pale like he had just lost his favourite Brahne doll. Wait, what the heck? I never thought he would be like Cinna in that aspect. Aaah, the poor man.

"Yeah?" Zidane folded his arms and glared at the knight, as if daring him to speak.

"You saved my life."

The words were barely audible and felt...frightened which made little sense to me. What's wrong with saving a life? Zidane, Steiner, Vivi and even Dagger, at some point, had saved my life from the various species of wildlife which this world seemed to boast. Heck, even Cinna had inadvertently saved me once.

...this isn't going to turn into one of those B-grade soap operas my parents insist on watching, is it? The image of Steiner wearing a floral dress and swooning into Zidane's arms made me want to vomit. Eurgh. I may not mind homosexuality, but please people! Don't do it in front of me. Same goes to you heterosexual couples. Do you know how painful it is to see you guys trying to swallow each others' faces?!

"Mayhap, you're not as bad as I thought you were," Steiner announced and turned away, folding his arms as if deep in thought.

Zidane seemed taken aback for a moment but his features quickly changed to accommodate the massive grin he had.

Oh bloody _hell. _I rolled my eyes. No way am I going to let this develop into a sapfest this early in the chapter.

...wait. What?

"Hey, guys. Why do you think that thing wanted the princess?" I asked, hopefully diverting this would-be drama into something else.

It was Dagger who answered, "Yesterday, Vivi had been kidnapped by some of the men in this village. We managed to find him underground and discovered a...factory that created these dolls that looked a lot like that mage we just fought."

"They were placed in these boxes that had the mark of the Alexandrian crest." Zidane explained. "Maybe he was sent here to retrieve the princess?"

"What are you implying exactly?" Steiner actually looked _civil_. "That Queen Brahne was the one who sent this foul beast?"

"I don't know about you, but it struck me as weird the way she bombed our airship like that," monkey boy spoke with a shrug. "It was almost as if she didn't care if the princess got hurt."

"Wait," I said and took a quick glance at Steiner's direction, hoping that he didn't get offended by all this. "You're telling me that the queen would do something like that? Maybe someone else is behind all this and is simply using the queen as a figurehead."

"We can't really say for sure, but I think that pretty much tells us that the princess is better off going to Lindblum right now." Zidane looked up and met Steiner's eyes evenly. "I don't really see why they're trying to kill us like this. If they wanted the princess back and knew you were with her, it'd be a lot more logical if they sent you reinforcements or something. Instead, they have these Black Waltzes who don't even care if _people_ get hurt, Steiner. Even you."

"And what if they're just thugs? What if they weren't sent by the queen after all?"

Dear gods, these people were actually having a _normal _conversation. I think I'm dreaming. I pinched myself and grimaced. Naaah. Still awake.

"Nevertheless, it wouldn't be safe to go there right now. Remember the Waltz's final words? I don't think he was lying when he said they were going to bring the princess back to Alexandria. At least if we go to Lindblum, she'd have more protection until we figure out what's going on." Hey, my mouth can do something useful after all. Oh joy.

"Then forgive me for I was about to suggest that we ride this airship to go to Lindblum. It was my plan to bring all of you back into Alexandria. Now, I do not think that that is the best course of action." I didn't know Steiner could actually sound this reasonable! Maybe it was the shock of being saved by the one man you abhorred the most.

"It's alright, Steiner! We forgive you." Zidane clapped the man's back and gave me a side-long grin. "And anyway, we're still boarding that ship."

"But I just said it was going to Alexandria! Are you deaf, man?"

"Just creative, Rusty," Zidane beckoned for us to follow him. "Just pretty damn creative."

* * *

There was stillness in the air or perhaps, for the sake of accuracy, there was no air at all, just a kind of stillness: lifeless and heavy. A short young woman with hair the colour of charcoal and forest green eyes that dulled with indifference leaned against the concrete wall, her mind clearly somewhere else.

She was reminiscing; she hadn't been able to do that before and she relished that moment as if it might disappear. Hell, it had happened before, hadn't it?

Her first few real memories were inside a hospital, strapped against a bed, her leg in a cast. They had told her that she had been in a car crash, and was the only survivor with a couple of scrapes and bruises on her body and a broken leg to show that that was indeed the case. They had told her of the car's other occupants, a girl and a boy near her age, and how they had died gruesome deaths. They had told her how she was lucky she had been sitting in the backseat and had miraculously managed to escape death.

Then, they started asking questions. Questions she could not answer for her memories seemed not to be there. They persisted, but she was incapable of speaking about what she did not know about. _Who am I?_ She would sometimes ask, interrupting the first few of many sessions to come. And they would simply shake their heads in answer.

It was after that first night in the hospital that she began receiving things. Sometimes they came in the form of books; sometimes in CDs which had foreign cartoons that amused her to no end. Sometimes, they even came in the form of games she could play when her thoughts of everything had slowly began to make sense in her mind once more and she was no longer feeling so damn confused and panicky and dizzy at the thought of being a nobody.

She wondered, at first, who it was that kept giving her these well thought-of gifts and had asked around, hoping that her mysterious benefactor would appear to her soon enough, with a strong connection to her past. She found it odd that none could answer her question; they had all claimed to have forgotten the man—or was it a woman?—whose face was so unremarkable that none could remember him.

Days passed, and she became more and more engrossed with her gifts. They were either about amnesia—which was only logical, seeing as she suffered from it—or about people getting thrown into different dimensions, different worlds that mirrored their own. It seemed her benefactor also had a good taste in games and she speculated—when she was lying in her bed at night, the darkness of the room seemingly swarming towards her—that perhaps her benefactor was an avid fan of video games. She did not know how close she was to the truth at that time.

It was when her leg had healed and her doctor had pronounced her fit as a fiddle that something phenomenal had happened. She had disappeared off the face of the earth. No one remembered her, of course. That would have caused questions and investigations and all sorts of meaningless activities for the sake of one girl who would never set foot in their world again. It was better this way. It was better that no one remember who she was, that no one know of her true identity. Even herself.

That was when she had also met her mysterious benefactor and first AI, Clarity. The AI was a short, plump, middle-aged woman with greying black hair tied in a meticulous bun and a set of crow's feet decorating the corners of her lively dark brown eyes. She had the air of royalty about her and moved with a certainty that people would look her way and pay her attention if she wished it so.

She was kind despite her strict image which seemed to say otherwise, and had quickly explained to the girl her true intentions. Clarity told her about the Game and the rules which governed it. She told the girl about the Developers, the Researchers, and the Avatars—what role they played in the Society and what kind of AI's they were. She spoke about the Developers and their arrogance; about the Researchers and their unfathomable curiosity; about the Avatars and their constant struggle to rise up in rank.

She wove a pretty tale and for a while, the girl could do nothing but stare at her, mouth flapping open like a fish waiting for a hook to appear. It was when Clarity began talking about how they would need her for an exclusive experiment—different from the other Expendables—that she found herself blurting out in panic, questioning why They had chosen her in particular. Clarity, of course, had an explanation for everything.

Clarity was a Researcher given the task to create a controlled environment wherein the Expendable—instead of getting dumped into a certain game-world which was often the case—will be brought there as an infant. She would grow up in a perfectly normal family, her memories the only visible clue that she was in fact an off-worlder. Since the girl could not remember anything in her past life save for those few months in the hospital, she would be able to adjust to that world more easily compared to the other Expendables. The few memories she did have would become her anchor and would remain her one single link to the world she had originally come from.

The girl could not believe all of this at first but Clarity had also shown her images of the other Expendables—of their struggles and of their triumphs; of their joys and of their pains. Feeling as if this woman was the only person who could make sense of the situation she was in right now, she agreed to the AI's plea of help, however reluctant she felt about the whole thing.

Words had been said, things had been done, strings had been pulled, and the next thing the girl knew, she was a small child again, wearing a long threadbare tunic that ended just below her bony knees. She had gotten her first memory back at the age of five.

And the name her foster parents had given her was Morrigan.

She shook her head and cleared her mind of the plaguing memories which insisted on giving her a headache. _That's enough._ She thought morosely. She didn't want to remember her parents just yet. Though they were not her real ones, she was still very close to them, and the thought of leaving them a second time—the first had been for a war she had been thrown into—had irked her to no end. The time for reminiscing had come to an end.

She pushed herself off the wall and scanned the weapons rack which decorated the other side of the room. Her hand reached for a pair of twin sabres that were just the right weight. The sigh that escaped her lips was a longing one.

_Let's get this over with._

* * *

I am never riding an airship again! Gaaah. I didn't want to be here. It was _bad_ enough that I had to wear these damn weights on top of my shoulders—Steiner had remembered at the last minute and had sent me scurrying back to the village to get them from Eve—but I also have a strong case of the airship sickness.

My head slumped against my knees in a desperate attempt to drone out the loud noises the engines were making. I've flown in planes before but this was very much different. For one thing, it was easier to delusion myself into thinking that I was in some sort of flight simulation and all this flying around Wasn't Real. After all, you don't really _see_ what's going on outside the plane. You had this little world that consisted of a seat, a tiny screen that provided you entertainment and a nifty foldable table where you place the airplane food they give you.

Speaking of airplane food...

I wrinkled my nose and pulled out my lower lip in a not-so-pretty pout. I miss civilization. And real food.

Something must have happened because the black mages previously working on the engines had left their stations. I scrambled to my knees and moved to the ladder. Why were they going up? I had _no_ idea. I grabbed the rough wooden bars and pulled myself upward all the while whispering to myself again and again, "Curiosity killed the cat." Pushing the trap door open, I let the cold sharp air caress my cheeks for a moment. I was about to chicken out and head back in the engine room when I caught sight of Vivi glaring furiously at the Black Waltz's direction. There was another one of them? _Damn._ I do hope this guy is the last one. If I had to even look at another Black Waltz, I will _scream_.

What made me freeze in my tracks was the wonderful display of magic these two mages were doing. Colors fizzed through the air, bringing heat and a fiery aura in its wake. They spattered across the floor and created sparks that crackled angrily and somewhat vindictively. Given that my vision was near the floor area, some of those damn sparklies made my eyes blink back tears. Agh! The _paaay-yin._

I sunk a bit lower from my position near the trap door but continued on watching these fellows fight it out. Who would have thought that the little guy had it in him to kick ass so prettily? It sent me fangirl shivers along my spine just thinking about it. Once this was over and we were all safely back on the ground—the sweet wonderful solid ground—I am giving Vivi one mega-sized glomp with some cheek-pinching on the side. And I don't care if I have to look around a bit underneath his hat just so I can touch those probably pinch-able cheeks of his!

Ice began to form around the Black Waltz's body, immobilizing him and preventing him from casting even more spells that would have led to the destruction of this tiny airship, given the time. Without even giving it a thought, I had rushed from my position inside the lower deck of the airship and had shoved the Black Waltz's body off the ship.

_Wrong move._

Having had a History of Wrong Moves already—some historians have even written down my name in disdain just to prove how much I've contributed to the grand History of Wrong Moves—I knew that something bad was going to happen the moment my hands made contact with the Black Waltz's frozen body. Unfortunately, I have the reflexes of a dying monkey and was not able to stop myself in time.

Since the Blizzard spell still wasn't finished covering the Black Waltz's body with ice, my hands had gotten frozen along. I tried to pull back but the Black Waltz's body had already tilted over the edge. The next thing I knew, I was screaming at the top of my lungs as I plunged downwards in a rapid rate. The fact that I had such a large body mass only helped speed up my descent to the ground.

The Black Waltz had managed to melt off the ice with some sort of fire spell and had flapped off, making me feel even angrier than before. That lucky bastard.

I should have just stayed in the engine room. Gaah. Why the hell am I always so effin' curious about these things?! Curiosity killed the cat...and satisfaction definitely did _not_ bring it back. And seeing as I don't have nine lives, I'm guessing this is when I should start praying to my patron deity and hope with all my fingers crossed that a miracle was about to happen.

I never did get the chance to do so because it was then that darkness—after all that pointless ranting that I had to do—had decided to swallow me in a void of unconsciousness.

And of course, knowing me, unconsciousness has never been a quiet affair.

_So you are the girl she has chosen to look after. I'm quite surprised; you're not the kind of girl one usually picks for...journeys as arduous as the one you are in right now. Such trials require warriors of strength, skill and determination. Though your determination seems endless, you lack the two others which are vital in your survival and the success of the Game._

Silence for a while. I wanted to protest but my attempt at forming coherent thoughts was a feeble one. I guess I was just too enamoured by the melody in which she orchestrated her words.

_Oh? What's this? They tell me that you have the Special Ability of Emotion, but I wasn't aware that you also had a rather powerful affinity to the Earth. Having watched your past actions, this affinity of yours has brought some new things to light: one being the uncanny way in which you always seem to fall down flat on your face. It is rather comical, in a way, but it will do you no good in the long run._

An image formed in my mind except that it wasn't that clear at all which made me wonder if what I was seeing was even real. It was an image of me running from another one of those damn beasties just inside the forest. Which? The hell would I know? My legs strained from the effort as I pushed off against the grassy floor but it was a futile one. The beastie had caught up in no time at all. I tried to veer to the left but a vine had tangled itself around my foot and had brought me crashing down to the ground. If I had eyebrows right now in this incorporeal body of mine, I would have raised them both in surprise. It was almost as if...the vine had reached out to me.

_Aah, yes. That ability of yours won't do at all._

I felt a tugging sensation in my navel. Was I being Portkeyed somewhere? Man, I hope not. It would kinda suck if I'm suddenly brought into a graveyard and forced to do battle with a disfigured fetus. And I don't even have a wand with a phoenix core handy with me.

The tugging sensation became more insistent, and something seemed to throb inside me like a heartbeat except it _flowed _across my body. Did I mention I sucked at describing things? Because I definitely do. I would nod empathically right now just to prove my point, but seeing as I do not have a body, I cannot do that.

Pain flared inside my ethereal ribs as I felt something being ripped off me. I tried to gasp for air but I found that I could not move anymore. Everything suddenly felt heavy and a sort of paralysis washed over me, making me struggle even more. Was this someone's idea of a sick joke? I had no idea.

Suddenly, words, emotions, and a shit load of hurt crashed against my senses, engulfing me in a sea of confusion. I tried to reach for something real, tried to grasp for something beyond this nightmare, but I could do nothing. All I could do was hope for sweet soothing oblivion to overcome all of my senses and turn them off.

Thank the heavens someone was listening to me; the chaos had ebbed away and was replaced with a cold kind of darkness. Sleep soon followed.

* * *

Maverick, treasure hunter extraordinaire, brought his Boco to a sudden stop. His eyes widened with alarm as he slid down the light blue chocobo—who knew those chocobo side quests were actually helpful, kupo?!—and ran towards the curled figure just a few steps away. His hand immediately flew to grab the flute he had against his hip. Playing a desperate tune to convey his urgency, he dropped to his knees and touched the girl's neck to search for a pulse after he had finished with the flute. He heaved a sigh of relief. This girl was still very much alive.

Though he did not like humanoids in general, he couldn't help but aid those who were in need. Perhaps, even if he had left behind his duty as a Cleaner, he still had the kind heart of a Moogle dedicated in the service of Mother Nature.

"What's wrong, kupo?"

He turned around and jerked his thumb to the unconscious humanoid. "Think you can help her, kupo?" The other Moogle, Mocchi, nodded and pulled out a Teleport Stone from one of her many pockets. For a brief moment, Maverick felt jealous but that moment did not last as he reminded himself that adventuring wouldn't be fun if he had it easy.

"Is it true that you've left the Cleaning Corps., kupo?" The tan-coloured Moogle whispered softly. She touched the humanoid's shoulder and disappeared in a flash. Maverick bit his lip and stood up, trudging back to his mount. He was glad that that was all Mocchi asked. He doubted he was ready to answer such questions yet, knowing that he would feel guilty and selfish if he thought back now to his recent actions. All he could really do was move forward and never look back on his former life.

Grim-faced, he continued onwards.

* * *

A tiny panda with gold and black markings bounced the glowing orb which stuck to her fingertips. She shook her paw, letting it burst into swirls of different coloured lights that danced around her. She watched it as a child would, her eyes wide with fascination.

"Developer Lachesis? You called for me?"

"Aah, Researcher Clarity," the adorable furry spoke, smiling up at the old woman. "Have you debriefed that Expendable of yours?"

"Yes, Developer."

Developer Lachesis nodded and stared at the glowing lights once more. She had heard of humans like Rebecca. They say that there were those who were born with powerful latent abilities that never truly surface. They say that it was because the world in which these humans were born wasn't equipped to handle their kind of power. Instead, they were simply drawn to certain things which might share a similar aspect to the power which they possessed. Having been brought to these game worlds which were more flexible to their abilities, their powers actually become more prominent which produces in rather...interesting end results.

"Very good, Researcher Clarity." The panda spoke, dreamy-eyed. "Her birthday is coming up and it would break my heart if I were not able to give her anything of use."

OMAKE: What Lies Beyond Death?

Rebecca fell downwards and hit something hard. She cursed underneath her breath and stood up, dusting off the dirt that clung to her jeans. Looking up, she took a step backwards and fell on her bum. _Oh shit._

The letters GAME OVER crowded her vision. She gritted her teeth and shouted, "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

The words dissolved into a whitish liquid that rearranged itself into tinier blocky letters.

_New Game_

_Continue_

A gloved hand which reminded her of Mickey Mouse without the rest of Mickey Mouse's body tapped on her shoulder, making her jump in fright. "Fuck! What the hell?"

It waved at her and walked in perfect Thing-impersonation towards the words floating just in front of her. It pointed at the words _New Game_ before sliding downwards to point at _Continue._

"Uhm...continue, I guess?" Rebecca asked, waving her hands up and down as if to say that she had no idea if she had just said the right thing.

A blinding light enveloped her.

"And let your scrawny little hands violate this magnificently flawless angel? Nevah!" She shook her fist in the air and blinked. "What?"

A/N: Yes, who knew Rebecca was capable of making Steiner Trance?

Guys, this is Morrigan. Morrigan, these are the guys. I do hope she wasn't too Mary Sueish. Because she's going to be a permanent addition soon enough.

And Rebecca's clumsiness is finally explained. I wish I could have said that I've been planning for that bit to happen all along but that wasn't really the case. Hahaha. The same can be said for Rebecca falling off the airship.

Maverick also makes a special appearance! Yey for Moogles.

I suck at writing omakes, but who cares? You guys gave me a lot of reviews so I just had to post one. I might make cameos in the future (Rick, I'm looking at you) but I have to finish reading some fics first. And here's a preview, for those of you interested. It was originally an omake, but I decided to add it to my fic. Wahahaha. It will, of course, be converted to first person.

Oh, and if you guys happen to see any mistakes, please, please tell me. I don't have a beta reader, you see.

Five reviews for an omake! (Not that anyone wants them anyway.)

PREVIEW:

Rebecca stretched lazily, her muscles moaning with displeasure. She gave the bartender a slight, lopsided smile and dropped the gil she owed him on the counter before slithering off, her hands burrowed deep in her pockets.

Her mind was elsewhere—it always was when she had nothing better to do—while her legs moved forward in mechanical fashion. Too busy thinking about the currency which Gaia had and what kind of economical structure it followed—topics her fifteen-year old could barely understand—she teetered in surprise as a small child wearing a too-large scarf and ratty flat cap slammed into her.

"Watch where you're going, lady," the girl grumped huffily and dashed off.

Fortunately, she had the paranoia of a miser carrying cash in a bank and had reached for her purse where her gil was carefully stashed. It wasn't there.

She cursed and ran after the kid, her legs protesting from the effort. Adrenaline screamed in her veins as she threw her weight forward and, in a burst of speed, she had managed to overtake the girl and pull her into a massive hug. "Gotcha," she whispered breathlessly, grinning in triumph.

"Let go of me!"

Rebecca moved to have a better look at the squealing struggling brat and froze, her heart in her mouth.

"Whatcha lookin' at, lady?"

The greenest eyes Rebecca had ever seen peeked out from the brim of the black cap, paralyzing her. Slivers of red escaped the cap, shrouding most of the girl's face.

She was just...too...damn...cute!

"Are you even listening to me, lady?" She pouted, making Rebecca's heart flutter.

"Listen to me. What you did back there was wrong, stealing my money and all." Rebecca admonished, putting her serious face on. It was quite the battle, especially when the power of the girl's puppy dog pout had doubled after those intense green eyes were directed her way. "So I suggest you hand back my money and-and uhh...we'll call it quits?"

She tried to twist herself free of Rebecca. "No! You're an adult, you can find more! Now let me go, I'm hungry!"

The tall chubby brunette made a face and asked in a pleasant condescending tone, "What if...you give me my money back and I'll treat you to some lunch?"

"That's not fair! You'd still have more money than me by the end of the day," her whine made Rebecca's knees feel weak and jelly-like.

"And what makes you think I even have that much money on me?"

"Because the purse was pretty heavy?"

The maniacal laughter that soon followed that statement made the young girl's eyebrow twitch. "Sorry, it's just—I don't even have that much on me. Unless you want those weighted lead I left in my purse. They're for the harness, you see. I need to go to a tanner or whoever and get these weights added in," Rebecca explained all too innocently.

The child's face fell into an abysmal frown. "Really?!"

"Yes, really," Rebecca intoned solemnly.

"Then it's a date!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten – Countdown to Seven: Dreaming with Both Eyes Open

Lindblum – Seven days before the Festival of the Hunt

There was a lot of running, especially when I was concerned. Up and down the sloping hills, my body barreled forward in a speed impossible for the likes of me. Still—ignoring the laws of common sense and physics—I soared through the emerald green fields like a bird of prey swooping down to take a look at its meal. Glee fueled my veins and I could not help but howl a whoop of joy. Never had I felt so free in my life. I wanted this moment to last.

A despondent sound moaned in the distance, making my head snap in attention. I skittered to a stop and gulped. Figures shrouded in black thundered from the hills, carrying various weapons of destruction. One of them carried a long curved battle horn in one hand. I'm guessing that's where the eerie sound had come from. Another raised a bow with an arrow notched and ready. I began to run once more.

Thick branches slapped my face while gnarled knobby roots snapped at my heels as I entered a darkly ominous forest, its towering trees engulfing me in a sea of greens, browns, and shadows. I raced onwards, my heart thudding against my chest like a mad man slamming his fists against a locked door. I should not have taken this route. I get lost quite easily, after all.

An arrow whizzed past me, making me veer off from my initial direction. It was only inevitable that I would smash against a solid wooden trunk. Breathless, the pads of my fingers lightly touching the tree's rough sticky bark, I looked around in panic, trying to assess where I should run to next. Before I could reach a decision however, an arrow buried itself against my shoulder, making me cry out in pain. I try to run once more but another bit the calf muscle of my left leg, bringing me to a crashing halt.

Oh _fuck._

With one hand still clutching my sore shoulder, I moved to have a look at my assailant—a task which I did not enjoy at all on account of the burning sensation which wriggled along my spine. The face I saw next made me freeze in my struggle. Brown eyes met brown. "April?"

My eyes didn't seem to be functioning properly because everything blurred for a moment. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I squinted hard at her face. Golden brown skin, that familiar mop of hair as black as a raven's wings, those slanted eyes…

It couldn't be!

Everything slammed back into focus, making me disoriented for a moment. Rubbing the tears away, I take another look at the figure that stood before me and my heart leaped out of my throat. No, no. It wasn't her. I didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or feel alarmed. I went with alarmed.

"Who-who are you?!"

Dark green eyes which decorated a pretty face lit with amusement. She had the same mop of black hair April had, and her skin was sun-burned brown though it was still a lighter shade in contrast to—

I growled in annoyance. What was wrong with me? Why did I have to compare her to April like that? Goodness. It's not like I'm obsessed with April. Why was she in my mind anyway? She certainly was not participating in this Game. I was sure of it.

"Don't worry, Rebecca; I'm here to help you." The young woman's hand came into view as she offered it to me. Reluctantly, I raised my hand to touch—

The sight of cobwebs and wooden panels slanting upwards greeted me as I woke up from my dream. My legs sprawled on top of the bed's frame while the rest of my upper body rested awkwardly on the floor. From the feel of things, I was still very much alive. "Where am I?" I asked the empty air and shook my head at my folly. Yeah, right. As if someone would answer my question. My shoulder stung with pain, making me grab it with a yelp. Funny, I couldn't feel my harness.

Was I dreaming all along? Were we still in Dali? That last bit certainly felt like a dream. I checked my shoulders and legs for arrow wounds. Nope. None that I could see.

I moved to my feet and I felt lighter somehow; as if something that had been burdening me for a while was gone. I stretched experimentally and found that other places in my body were stiff or hurt. My eyes immediately scanned the room for a Potion or some other miracle brew that would ease most of the pain away.

I found nothing.

Well, nothing that could help me anyway. I saw the harness Steiner had given me slung on a chair which immediately removed my suspicion of being in a..."dream" for the last few hours. The recent one not counting. My leather jerkin was folded on top of the chair, along with the belts that held my sword and daggers and the pair of fingerless gloves that had saved my hands several times from getting bitten off by monsters.

I shrugged. Well, I better get dressed if I want to go outside and find out what the heck happened to me. Resting the harness on my shoulders, I was surprised to find that it didn't burden me as much as it did that first time I wore it. I doubt that my body could get used to such things so easily so I was suspicious of the harness. Did someone meddle with it while I was asleep?

Something tugged at my memories, screaming for attention. I tried to focus on it but the image was slipping from my mind. It was like trying to say something and finding that the words were at the tip of one's tongue. It was like trying to scratch some part of the body that one can't reach. I growled in annoyance and put my leather jerkin on, as well as the gloves and the belts.

My shoulders slumping wearily, I pushed open the door and took a deep breath. Well here goes nothing.

"Rebecca?!" A body slammed against me as I felt arms envelop me in a humongous hug. I gulped and looked down.

"Vivi?"

"I-I thought you were dead," the small black mage whispered, his glowing yellow orbs clouded with grief and confusion.

"Who? Me?" I laughed and patted his head while deep down, my inner me was doing a ditzy jig. Vivi was just so damn adorable. And his hugs were so wonderfully warm and squishy too. "I don't die easily, kiddo." Now where were the others? "Is anyone else up and about?"

"Dagger an' Cap'n Steiner are in the Lindblum castle," Vivi spoke, detaching himself from me. My inner me awww'd in despair. No more hugs? "The cap'n was really, really sad when you fell off the airship like that. We-we thought you were a goner." So everything really happened then? Aah, the plot thickens. "Me an' Zidane stayed here at the inn for the night. He's still asleep though."

"Thanks, kiddo. You want to accompany me to the Lindblum castle? I'd like to say hello to the others—"

"You're awake, kupo." A Moogle said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I don't know about most, but I'm guessing it's pretty obvious.

"Yeah. Can I help you?" I inquired politely.

"Mocchi brought you here using her Teleport Stone, kupo. Said one of our own found you in the plains, unconscious. I'm glad you're looking better, kupo. Name's Moodon, by the way."

Oh. Well that explains everything. I ignored the inner me who was doing a facepalm. "Thanks for telling me, Moodon. And if you could thank Mocchi for me, I'd appreciate that." About to turn away, I stopped. "How did a Moogle carry me all the way here? I mean, I can understand that she used her Teleport Stone and all to bring me to Lindblum, but that doesn't explain how she managed to drag me all the way to the inn."

"We are many, kupo. And some of us wear enchanted armour that can help us with our daily tasks, kupopo. Like carrying humans thrice our size."

Trust a Moogle to know everything about everything. I grinned and thanked the Moogle again before dragging Vivi down the stairs. "You gonna join me for a bit of walking, Vivi?"

The black mage shook his head and placed his hands behind his back. "I'd like to explore this place on my own, Rebecca." Aww, dangit. "If that's alright with you?"

"Well of course it is!" I chirped and saluted at him smartly. "See ya then."

Loneliness equates to boredom and I hate being bored. I shoved my hands inside my pockets and wondered if I could buy a jacket or something in Lindblum. Even with the leather jerkin on, I still find that I get cold rather easily.

Outside the inn, I couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise. Lindblum was fuckin' huge. As in, mind-blowingly effin' woah! The buildings were so colorful; from dark blues to bright greens to warm reds. Everything looked like a grand painting except nothing was still. Airships buzzed through the air like birds of prey while people of all sorts of stature and class decorated the busy streets. Never had I felt so amazed. I ran down the steps and almost bumped into someone. "Sorry," I said and my proverbial light bulb went ping. "Hey, do you know how to go to the Lindblum castle?"

The girl whom I almost bumped into stared at me with two eyebrows raised. Well, I know it's probably common knowledge here or something but hello? I'm a foreigner remember? "You just have to ride on an Air Cab." She pointed to the building opposite to the inn. "From there, it's pretty easy to find your way to the castle." Well that was mighty obvious. Am I always this dense?

…No. You don't get to answer that.

"Thank you!" Lindblum Castle, here I come!

* * *

There were certain…requirements to be met when it came to storming a castle: the fury of a thousand men, swords so sharp they would plunge easily against one's chest and an actual castle to storm in. The tall thin woman who was indeed storming through the place had managed to do so with a lot of improvising. Though she was but one woman, you can tell just from the look she gave you that her fury was that—or even more—of a thousand men. Her eyes and tongue were both sharp as hell, and any man or woman who dared stand in her way will find that they wished it was a real sword that had plunged against their chests, and not a couple of well placed words that left them still alive and breathing but with prides so injured and wounded, that they needed therapy to get themselves back together. And though it was not a castle in which she was storming in, it gave you the impression of one with its enormity and lofty-like structure.

Aah. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Sleepy guards snapped into attention as she stamped through the hallway though stamped didn't really give the woman's movements any justice. She made everything she did flow as if she was a rapid waterfall, engulfing in a way. Her movements were both graceful and deadly.

The guards steered clear of her.

"Developer Lachesis," she spoke icily as the metallic door slid open. The panda did not seem perturbed by the aura of rage which wrapped around the woman like a cloak and continued on staring at the multitude of screens, her lips visibly moving.

Zero heaved a sigh and moved to stand in front of Lachesis, "Developer Lachesis."

The panda took out the stalk she was chewing and grinned at Zero, sharp teeth showing. "Aaah, Zero. How nice of you to come by. How's life as a…_civilian_? I hear you've joined the Game as an Avatar. Is that true?"

"You bloody well know it's true, Lachesis," Zero growled. "After all, you were the one who messed with Rebecca's stats."

All she got was an innocent smile and a raised eyebrow. If pandas had eyebrows.

"Robin may not have noticed, given the fact that her powers are mere in comparison to mine, but what you did was uncalled for—"

"It was, wasn't it? Then please give my sincerest apologies to Robin."

"That's it? You were responsible for the changes in Rebecca, Lachesis. The least you could do is—"

"Yes, it was the least I could do." Lachesis spoke and glared at Zero from her position on the floor. On any other person, it would have been a most unsettling experience. Zero just wasn't anyone. "Zero, surely you would know that as your senior I have leave to interfere with your affairs at any point in time if I wished to. Now, if you were still a Developer, like before, things would have been different."

"I have no plans of coming back to your ranks, Lachesis."

"There are people waiting for your return," snapped Lachesis. "You were one of the best, Zero—or should I say, Eris? We need you. You were one of the best. Any other Developer and we wouldn't make such a fuss…but you? _By the Mother, _you made things that could last forever." She shook her head and said in a lighter tone, "Besides, I'm rather curious about your Expendable. She bears the Special Ability of Emotion, does she not? If I remember correctly, that was your last project before you left us."

"Pure coincidence."

"Nevertheless, I and a few others are interested in her, luv. You can say that we're all willing to…_invest_ on her. Removing her Earth affinity was only the beginning."

"We don't need your help, Lachesis. Nor does she."

"But I do so like to help. It's a rather…refreshing feeling." Lachesis scooted a bit to the left and went back to watching the screens, her face bright with fascination. "We want her to succeed, luv. Don't you?"

"Overloading her with powers will only do her harm, Lachesis. She'll lose her humanity if things come to that."

"Whoever said we were going to overload her like that? We do know about that little rule, Eris. _You_ devised it after all." The Developer took a bite from her stalk and chewed it thoughtfully. "We're just…going to nudge her to the right direction. Give her a few hints, if you will. Perhaps make things easier for her to adjust. They say quick learners are survivors and I'm sure you'd very much like for her to survive."

* * *

I had never felt this much loved before in my life. There were times when I think people appreciate my presence, especially when I was making a fool of myself, but never had I experienced love…in the form of concern. Not the preachy Don't-You-Dare-Do-That-Again kind either. I took a sip from the bittersweet coffee and leaned my cheek against a knuckle. It was a warm sticky feeling at the bottom of my stomach and I liked it. I had never been treated this way at home, even when I was sick with the flu. It had _always_ been a lecture of some kind.

I shook the memories away and finished the cup of coffee I held in my hand. I had just visited the Lindblum castle and, lo and behold, it was indeed a very impressive place. It was nothing though, compared to the feeling of utter happiness that had filled my heart when Steiner and Dagger came rushing in, worry etched in their crinkled foreheads and weary eyes. I had smiled at them reassuringly and told them about the kind Moogles who had brought me here in the first place. The knight was relieved to find me in good condition and had slapped my back vigorously, possibly bruising it. All Dagger did was smile back.

All that aside, we talked about other things—more practical things—and I discovered that we would be staying in Lindblum for a while. The Regent wanted them to watch the Festival of the Hunt which would be occurring in a week's time. He also wanted to spend some quality time with the princess—I tried to filter out the naughty bits in my brain, I swear by it!—and thought that now was a good opportunity. Apparently, Steiner thought it was a grand opportunity too—especially for me—because he had started planning out my training regime. He had to remain by the princess's side at all times as was his duty as a knight of Alexandria, but he promised me that he would find a worthy mentor who would help me learn to become a better fighter. Not that I was any good to begin with.

I slapped the gil against the counter, slipped off the stool and hooked my thumbs in the pockets of my khaki pants. It was time to visit the tanner.

The captain had also handed me a pouch filled with gil. Feigning stupidity, I had asked him how the money was used here and he immediately launched a full, if somewhat bellow-y, lecture on the monetary system of Gaia. It was a fascinating lecture—erm...I did nod my head a lot but that was probably because I was "nodding off," so to speak, haha—and I had learned a lot from it. I was also a bit talented with Math—if you call adding numbers fairly quick talented—so hopefully, I could save up most of the money he had given me for something of actual importance. Like a manicure perhaps?

Oh gods, like that would happen. Haha. Who spends their money on such frivolities anyway? I sure wouldn't. I'm a rather sensible person, if you must know. Oohh! Was that a toy soldier of the Alexandrian army? I want one of those! I wonder how much they cost...

…on second thought, the minute I see Steiner I must remember to surrender the pouch full of gil he had given me. I'd probably spend it on something stupid like a book that I won't be able to read anyway or a toy more suitable for a child ten years younger than me.

Something hard hit me, almost making me fall on my bum. Surprisingly, I only staggered backwards which was a miracle in itself. I _always_ ended up on the ground. Trust me. It's probably written somewhere out there in some huge tome concerning the laws of physics that I _had_ to fall on the ground. It's one of my more humorous traits. Without it…I wasn't me.

Oh shut up, Rebecca! Now is not the time for you to be musing about self-identity or something. See that figure over there. _No_. Not there. _There._ I squinted, narrowing my eyes, and saw a blur running in the distance.

Fortunately, I have the paranoia of a man carrying shitloads of cash inside a room full of thieves because my hand searched for the pouch which carried most of my gil. Though technically it wasn't mine—

Aagh! It's not there.

"Come back here you feckin' brat," I yowled and ran as fast as I could, barreling against several passers-by in my hurry to catch the little light-fingered lout. Oh gods, I sounded like Steiner, didn't I? I ignored the tense calf muscles that twisted and burned from the exertion and pushed myself harder. I had to catch up with the brat, elsewise, the captain would be awfully disappointed with me. Though I did not fear him, I'd rather stay on his good side where things were much safer and more predictable.

When finally the kid was within arm's reach, I sprang—although tripped would describe it more accurately—and swallowed him in a bear hug. Not literally, of course; I don't eat children for breakfast. They're more like dessert for me.

"Get your stinkin' hands off me, lady!" The child squeaked, his voice too high-pitched for him to be male. I think maybe I need to switch pronouns now.

"Well, kiddo, if someone's stinkin' here it's you," I growled, glaring at hi—her with an Evil Eye which is said to possess such negative energy that the other person receiving this Evil Death Glare of Doom will laugh in despair and die of a heart attack. Either that or run away screaming. I'm not sure, seeing as I've never used it before. "Now give me my money back."

"No!" The kid harrumphed and squirmed underneath my grasp. "I didn't steal nothing, you hear me?"

"I hear you fine, luv." I said, my face parading the trademark smirk most villains possessed under their arsenal, "So what's this dangling on your belt?" I asked sweetly and pulled off my pouch—my precious sturdy pouch which Steiner had given me!—from her makeshift leather belt.

"That's-that's...why that's mine! Gimme back my money, you old hag!" She growled, swinging her arms every which way in a desperate attempt to take back what was_ not_ rightfully hers. "I need it to eat! To survive!"

"Well too bad, kiddo," I spoke, not without a bit of hesitation. Oh dear, her puppy dog eyes are getting to me. Not the pout! Not the pout! Anything but that! I looked away but felt her pitiful eyes pressuring down at the back of my skull. Gaaah! Leave me be you, insolent child! She called you old hag, remember? That calls for a bit of punishment at least! Seriously, I sound like Steiner right about now. Perhaps I should start hanging out with Zidane or something. Then I'd start sounding rad or whatever them punks call it.

Yes, I can't, for the life of me, understand contemporary slang. Vexes me so, it does.

"What say you to a little compromise?" I asked after three seconds of being subjected to her fiery gaze which called for sympathy and much aww-ing. Dear gods! This kid could beat Vivi in a competition on who's cuter. I swear by it! It's her eyes! Her forest green eyes which alight with such a passionate flame of youth that it makes me want to jump atop a cardboard box and say weird things Gai-sensei style! Well, maybe Vivi would still win by a tiny fraction or something. He has that glomp-like quality no one can really quite copy. "You give me my money back and I'll treat you to a very hearty lunch. How about that?"

"No!" She squeaked and pushed my face away with her grimy hands. "That's unfair, lady! You'd still get more money out of the deal than I!" Oh-ho! What do we have here? Someone who likes to make a good bargain, eh? Well, well, well.

"What made you think I have that much money on me anyway?" I asked, a frown on my face.

"We-ell, your pouch looked pretty heavy, lady," she spoke sweetly, those bright green eyes sending javelins straight through my heart. Aaagh! The pain! I must...resist!

"This?" I snorted and let go of her shirt sleeve. Crouching to the ground, I up-ended the pouch and watched the gil and the bars of lead plop against the stony floor. "See? Most of what I have isn't gil at all, as you suspected, but rather, just big globs of lead for my harness which I'm taking to the tanner or whoever." And just to make a point of it, I patted my harness which was hidden just underneath my vest. "So...still think this is all unfair?"

"Yes," she crossed her arms and gave me a superior look. It died the moment I started laughing. Oh man! Such a sweetheart this one. "Treat me to lunch and dinner and then we'll see if I'll call it even."

I scooped them up and dropped them back into the pouch, a smile on my face. It's been so long since I've been amused like this. I really do love kids. They're so...utterly entertaining to me. Of course, whenever one of my friends heard me ranting on and on about how awesome they are, I am immediately labeled as an old pervy dude with a liking for little kids. Gaaah. I hate it when they do that! I don't like kids that way! Honest! "Ok, if you say so, kiddo."

"Then it's a date!" She quipped and jumped to my back for a piggy-back ride. I grimaced. Ooooh! My back! It hurts so much! I feel like crying. Seriously, I do. The weight of a child plus the harness on my back as well as the sword and daggers which constantly weigh me down is not a good thing. Not a good thing at all. I dropped to my knees and groaned in sympathy for myself. "Gidiyup!"

"Right-o, Ma'am," I spoke with another grimace and moved to stand on my two feet again. It was a long way to the bar. For me anyway.

When finally we entered the small dwelling, I immediately dumped the kid onto a stool, much to her chagrin, and slammed some coins onto the counter top. "Milk for the kiddo, my good man," I said, wriggling my eyebrows in an enthusiastic mambo. "And some orange juice for me to start with."

"But I like orange juice more," she hissed once the bartender was gone.

"Fine then," I grumbled underneath my breath. Milk for me? Again? Dear gods, is this a sign from the above that I'm still way too short for my own good?!! Is it because I slouch? Because I don't brush my teeth too often? Well I can't help it if they don't sell any toothpaste around here! There are scarcely any convenience stores around. In fact, there are none at all!

"I want this and that, and some of those!" I heard the girl say, jabbing at the menu with a burning vengeance. I shrank back in fear. Gods, I do hope she doesn't use up all of my cash. The way she was acting, it was almost as if the end of the world was near and she at least wanted to die with a full stomach. Of course, given that she was a street brat, she probably didn't get chances like this too often. I kept my mouth firmly shut.

In the end, it was a near thing. I had enough for the harness and a ride or two on the Air Cab—damn transportation's so expensive nowadays!—but I'm afraid my promise of a filling dinner might be broken. Watching her devour the food they kept serving her, I had another facepalm moment.

"Hey kiddo," I called to her and leaned against an open palm. "What's your name?"

"I shouldn't talk to strangers, Mum always says," she spoke meekly after swallowing gods-know-what down her throat. Well, kid, as much as I love where you're heading at, I'm rather sick and tired of playing games right now, especially seeing as you've just drained my purse of most of its content.

"Well, I _did_ buy you lunch," I spoke, wriggling my eyebrows like nobody's business.

"They say that you only ever actually get to know the other person intimately after the second date," she quipped, still playing the role of the shy maiden. Can I just bang my head against a wall now? This kid is far too clever and witty for the likes of me. I might swallow her if I'm not too careful. Plus, flirting at such a young age? Someone might accuse me of pedophilia!

…Again!

"Well, you don't _really_ want to be referred to as kiddo for the rest of your life now, do you?"

"I don't really mind," she spoke through a mouthful of bread and roasted beef, "as long as I still get to call you old hag, anyway."

My withering glare had no effect on her. Well, not much anyway. "Fine! M'name's Alma. Nice to meet you too. Cheers and all that. _Now_ will you let me eat in peace?"

Yes, Ma'am. Shutting up now, Ma'am. I stuck my middle finger and thumb together, made a zipping motion across my lips, before throwing away the imaginary key in some random direction. It's official now. My lips are sealed…movin' along, I'll never…tell!

…oh gods, I want to watch that musical again.

Watching her stuff her face with food, I couldn't help but want to tell her to slow down. For her, it might feel like the end of the world, but she should know better than to eat everything at once. First of all, it would upset her stomach a lot because it wasn't used to having so much food stored in it. Secondly, if she actually conserved some of the food she had, she wouldn't have to worry so much about tomorrow's meal.

Aaagh! Now how to get my message across?

I tapped Alma's shoulder and waved my hands to get her attention. "Whatcha want now, lady?"

I frowned, uncurled my pointer finger, and shook it violently so as to say no. I then made eating movements, froze in mid-bite, looked like I was gagging, and clutched my stomach in dismay. Finally, to end Act One, I crossed both forearms to emphasize that eating quickly was a big no-no. Aaah, my days of acting in Drama class have finally paid off!

"You want…some, lady?" She asked, offering me a drumstick. I blinked and let my head drop in dejection. Goodness, can't she understand basic body language?! Apparently not.

I crossed my forearms again and shook my head. I did the actions once more, though now they were a beat slower.

"You need to go to the bathroom?"

I slowed down by another fraction.

"You can't pay for my dinner? Oh that's alright, I knew as much anyway."

I stopped what I was doing. Say what? My face contorted in another attempt to get my point across. Thankfully, she understood this one.

"I saw how much you had, lady," she explained with a sheepish shrug. "So when I was pickin' out my meals, I made sure you'd still have enough left over for your harness and whatnot."

I flapped my arms in irritated despair. The nerve of this child! So she actually planned to leave me with just this much money?! I would have understood if she was just as hungry as hell and couldn't help herself. But this? To trick me into believing that-that she was just a poor unfortunate child?! It was worse than-than…reading second-rate five-hundred word fanfiction which has the story revolving primarily around the author who has god-like tendencies and a tendency to confuse periods with exclamation marks!

Breathe, Rebecca, breathe.

"Well I'm sorry, ok? I was just"—she squirmed under my intense glare and looked up at me with a puppy dog pout—"I didn't believe you'd feed me dinner too so I ate what I could."

And there goes my sanity. Good bye, luv. Send me a letter sometime, will ya?

I mussed her hair and beamed into her sweating frightened face. "Don't worry, child; I'm not going to punish you…much." And just because the word lady makes me feel old, "By the way, my name is Rebecca. Remember it clearly…because you'll be screaming it for all you're worth in a while."

* * *

"So we have an agreement then?" Lachesis asked eagerly, obsidian eyes shining with excitement.

"Yes," sighed Zero, rubbing her forehead wearily. "I'll give you free reign over our game world so long as everything you _do_ modify there meets our approval."

"Oh thank you, Eris," Lachesis shook the tall woman's long spindly hand energetically. "You won't regret this! And did I mention that I've just sent our little Rebecca a wonderful bodyguard who can protect her at all times?"

Zero twitched at the word 'our' though she remained expressionless. For all the four seconds that it took for her to hear the next few words anyway. "Oh _Mother, _I need to talk to Robin about this."

Lachesis's happiness evaporated the moment she heard Robin's name. "For the sake of the Mother, Eris, must you go to that—to that scamp _now_ of all times? Are you not even disturbed by the fact that you're living with such…_filth_?"

"Don't talk about Robin like that," snarled Zero, her crimson eyes flashing in anger. "She's been the best company I've had in years."

Lachesis licked her lips and turned away, her paws clenching and unclenching. "And words like that make me wonder what really happened to you after your fall from grace."

"Are you implying that Robin had anything to do with who I am right now?"

"If I said yes, would you change back to your former self?"

"No!"

"Then yes, I believe that you've been badly influenced by that _Playstation_. And don't you even dare speak back to me, Eris. You do not have any power over me anymore. Not after you've left our ranks."

Zero fumed in silence, her whole body shaking now—vibrating with furious energy. More than anything, she wanted to go back to Robin's home, drink the other woman's wonderful jasmine tea, and listen to her moan on about the good old days. She wished more than anything else to let Robin lean against her tiredly, feel the other woman's barriers slip from her grasp and soak in the vivid sea of the woman's past memories. She wanted more than anything to see Robin's smiling face. Only Robin made her feel calm nowadays.

In this hellhole, everyone always had their guard up. In this hellhole, everyone expected something from her. A price, perhaps? The greatness she was _born_ with?

What-_fucking_-ever.

"I'm going home," she growled and with a snap, disappeared in a puff of pixels.

"Funny," Lachesis said because she always insisted that she get the last word, "You used to say that this will _always_ be your home."

* * *

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Lemme go, you bloody puffball!" Alma screamed, pounding my already-bruised back fervently. "I demand that you release me at once!" It was a good thing I wasn't wearing my harness at the moment—seeing as I had left the heavy thing back at the tanner's—because if I did, I would have dropped to the ground in exhaustion by now. It also helped that I had bought a Potion from some passer-by a while ago. The power jolt it had given me was enough to keep me going even though I was feeling tired from the morning's events.

"My lady—"

"We're perfectly alright," I said with just the right amount of snotty-ness nobles usually had masquerading as part of their accent. The soldier guarding the gates leading to the Lindblum castle looked somewhat sheepish in his funky armour. "Thank you for asking. Now toddle along, good sir. Right-o," I piped in and pushed my way through the room. "Captain Steiner! Princess! How are you guys doing?"

The guard turned around to see who I was addressing. I ran for the Princess's room before he could stop me, ignoring Alma's continuing stream of curses. My gods, was she raised by sailors or something? Her vocabulary was even worse than mine.

"Oh, Rebecca dear! How nice it is to see you," Steiner's lips moved upward in an attempt to smile but the muscles from his cheeks resisted. He ended up looking like he was constipated or something. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Thud!

"Hey! What the heck, lady?"

My arms hung limp near my sides as I stared, my expression way beyond drop-jawed, at the petite young woman who stood before me in a soldier's uniform. Eyes a lot like Alma's stared back at mine intently, making my heart do a double flip and a consecutive dive for the stomach which swallowed it whole. Short coal-black hair paraded her shoulders and framed her round frowning face.

I opened my mouth but my throat was dry, and even if I did speak, I wouldn't know what to say.

She saluted, took a step forward, and offered me her hand—one that I've seen once before. "Hi, my name's Morrigan. I'm here to help."

* * *

A/N: Where's the omake you ask? Bwahahaha. It's not here, if that's what you're wondering. Since only two people reviewed last chapter, only two people get to read the wonderful omake I've written. Newt has already read it and she finds it utterly humorous. (Though if you still want it, you're gonna have to review this chapter and chapter nine. Muwahaha. Coz I'm evil like that. :3)

Speaking of which…thank you, Newt, for beta-ing my chapter! Much love goes to you! Everyone else, you better go read EGAD when it comes out! It's the best thing since chocolate! Seriously! I mean look at all these exclamation marks! I'm very much serious in saying that Newt's fic rocks my socks! Mine is nothing compared to hers!

Oh, and for those of you who don't know, the AIs continually use the word Mother to swear. Seeing as she's the most powerful entity in their world, it's only logical that they refer to her like that.

I don't know when the next chapter will be coming out, seeing as I am feeling rather guilty about two of my other fics which I haven't updated in months. So unless you convince me to write more here, I will be concentrating on them. Cheers!


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